Lincoln & Kat: A Year in the Life (season 1)
by RawToonage press
Summary: "Fall". Meet Lincoln Loud and Kat Ketchum, two children with complete opposite social backgrounds. But one day, fate brings them together. This, is their story. Cover art done by the incredibly talented MariusWales.
1. Pilot

***Disclaimer* I do not own the Loud House.**

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**AN: Welcome dear readers to my latest project, "Lincoln and Kat: A Year in the Life". This by far is my biggest and most ambitious project yet. This is a complete AU from the ground up. This whole thing is a real labor of love and I am happy to share it with all of you.**  
**First, I would like to give a shoutout to authors J-Russ, Sheepsquatch and Zoinks81 for giving me inspiration to do this project.**  
**Second, I want to personally thank author SirRavenMacbeth. When I told him about this project, he was nothing but supportive. He believed in the project when no one else I told it to took me seriously. I hope I you do proud.**

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**(Date: May 2****nd**** 2005)  
(Location: Royal Woods General Hospital, maternity ward)**

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Loud, it's a boy!"

Everything went silent after those words came out of the doctor. After giving birth to five amazing daughters, the Loud family was blessed with a son. Lynn Sr. almost broke down in tears when he heard the news.

Don't get the parents wrong; they love their daughters, but they've been wondering for a while if they were even capable of conceiving a son instead of just daughters. Old saying goes, there's a first time for everything. As the nurse finished cleaning the baby, she handed him over to Rita who laid on the bed with a very exhausted look on her face. As she looked down at her newborn son her heart swelled with joy.

She would never admit this to her husband but to her, it seemed to her that her daughters seemed closer to him. Don't get her wrong, she has a great relationship with her girls. But this was her chance to have a strong mother-son bond and she sure as hell isn't going to waste that opportunity.

Then the couple heard someone knocking on the door and saw Rita's father, Albert who his grandchildren call Pop-Pop. "Are you ready for visitors?" the old man quietly asked. The couple wordlessly nodded and then Pop-Pop came in along with five little girls Lori, Leni, Luna, Luan and Lynn.

When the girls got a good look at their little brother, their hearts completely melted.  
The heart that was most effected was Lori, their oldest.

"Have you thought about any names yet?" Albert asked. Rita and Lynn Sr. looked at each other for a moment and smiled and then looked at the seasoned grandfather. "Dad" Rita started, "Say hello to your grandson, Lincoln Albert Loud." Within seconds, the grandfather had tears of joy.

* * *

**(Meanwhile, just a few doors down…)**

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum, it's a girl!"

Meet Richard and Catlin Ketchum. The Ketchums are one of the more financially wealthy families in Royal Woods. Richard runs a law firm and Catlin runs a publishing company. Despite the high profile careers, the couple is as down to earth as they come. For the last couple of years, the couple has wanted to start a family but didn't exactly have the best of luck before. But then as if their prayers were answered, when the day came when Catlin discovered she was pregnant. When she shared the good news with Richard, it took him every ounce of self control not to start dancing in the streets shouting in glee.

"She's the most beautiful baby in the world" Richard whispered.

"I think she has your hair color dear" Catlin whispered back. One of Richard's most unique physical traits is that is hair color is a deep indigo that almost looks back in some lights.

Then the Ketchums heard a small knock on their door, and Richard's father Edward came inside. "I'm so sorry that I'm late, traffic was complete murder" Edward whispered. "It's okay dad" Richard reassured him.

Edward Ketchum is a little bit more "Old School" if you will, but has mellowed out the last few years. Then the old man in question got a look at the baby, all of time stood still. His heart swelled with lots of joy. He knew that his son and daughter-in-law have been trying for quite some time, and now he couldn't be prouder.

"So, have you thought of any names yet?" Edward quietly asked.

Catlin and Richard looked at each other for a moment and smiled. "We were thinking of Kathrine" Catlin answered. Edward was seriously having some strong feelings now. Kathrine was the name of his wife and Richard's mother. She unfortunately passed away a few years ago due to sickness.

"That's the most wonderful name in the world" Edward whispered. And then Catlin looked down at her sleeping daughter, "Welcome to the world, Kathrine Ketchum" she whispered.

It's not every day that you see two babies like this to be born on the same day like this.

But the famous old saying goes, "Everything happens for a reason". But this would not be the last time that the lives of Lincoln Loud and Kat Ketchum would be intertwined.

This is just only the beginning.

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**(Date: September 1****st****, 2016)  
(The First Day of School)  
(Location: the Loud House)**

_**BZZZZT-BZZZZT-BZZZZT**_

It took every fiber of Lincoln's still developing body to not destroy the cursed alarm clock with one of Lana's hammers. The snow haired child should be getting up, but a large part of him wanted to go back to sleep.

As he properly turned off the clock, he let out a long sigh of defeat and then decided to start his morning routine. First, he steps into his bathroom and took a quick shower and quickly brushed his teeth. He then walked over to his dresser and proceeded to get dressed for the day. Afterwards, he grabbed his backpack and iPod and walked up the stairs from his room in the basement to join in for breakfast.

After opening the door, the lone Loud son was greeted by the controlled chaos that is his family.

His father Lynn Sr, was in the kitchen in his "zone" making everyone's breakfast and lunches. His mother Rita, was changing Lily's diaper before getting her dressed for the day with Lisa assisting her. Leni was helping Lola brush her hair, Luna was strumming away on her acoustic guitar, Lana was quickly feeding all the animals, Lucy was quietly sitting on the couch writing in her poetry journal alongside Luan who was writing new jokes in her journal, Lynn coming in through the backdoor as she finished her early morning jog.

And then there was Lori, who was checking the clock on her phone to make sure everything's on schedule.

Yep, just another day in the life of Lincoln Loud.

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**(Scene change)  
(Location: Kat Ketchum's house)**

Meanwhile in a different part of town, we find a certain blue haired lass finishing her morning routine. As she finished getting dressed, she picks up her big blue handbag and proceeds to head downstairs to join her parents for breakfast. As she enters the kitchen, she says "Good morning" to the family's chef Louie.

"Morning mom, morning daddy" she greeted her parents.

"Morning sweetie" her mother greeted back. "So kiddo, today's the first day of 5th grade. How are you feeling?" her father asked. Kat gave a "so-so" hand gesture as her answer while munching on her silver dollar pancakes courtesy of chef Louie. As the blue haired lass swallowed the last bit of food in her mouth she gave more of an answer, "I mean I get it's my last year before middle school, but honestly I don't get the hype."

This was Kat in a nutshell. A girl of few words and usually, those words are brutally honest.

"Anyhow" her mother tried to start up the conversation again, "I was thinking of driving you to school today if that's okay." Kat couldn't help but give a small smile, and she was silently relieved that one of her parents would take her to school instead of their chauffer Kirby driving her or worse take the school bus.

Yep, just another day in the life of Kat Ketchum.

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**(Timeskip)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: Royal Woods Elementary school)**

* * *

**(Lincoln)**

As the Loud family van pulled up in the front of the building; Lori pressed a button to open the side door and Lincoln, Lucy, Lana and Lola came out in single file. Then the oldest sister asked the snow haired child to stay back for a sec, she then handed him a piece of paper. "Make sure you give this to your new teacher so there won't be any misunderstandings about your earbuds" she told him. "I will" he replied.

"Try to have a good day" she told him. The snow haired child smirked, "No promises Lorelei". Out of all her siblings, Lincoln was the ONLY one aside from their parents that can get away with calling her that.

* * *

**(Kat)**

As Catlin Ketchum pulled up to the school to drop off her daughter, she turns to her with a smile.  
Now the blue haired lass in question, was staring blankly out the window.

"You know, I can't explain it…but I have this strong feeling that you'll have a really great year" Catlin told her daughter as that snapped her back into reality. "Wish I felt the same way" the blue haired lass muttered.

Catlin couldn't help but frown at her daughter's remark.

It wasn't like she was a bad student; in fact she usually scores the highest grades in her class. But the mother's concern came from another reason. She was afraid that Kat would drown herself into her schoolwork again just so she uses that as an excuse to not make any friends. Catlin loves her daughter very much, but she wished ever so often that Kat had more of an open mind when it came to being social.

"Sweetie" Catlin started while she put a hand on Kat's shoulder, "A true friend will like you for who you are and not for what you have. I don't expect you to become 'Miss Popular' overnight; I just want you to have an open mind" she finished. The blue haired lass sighed in contempt.  
"I'll try, but I don't what good it'll do" she answered. "That's all I'm asking for" her mother replied.

* * *

**(Lincoln)**

Meanwhile, the snow haired child opened the doors to the school to be greeted by the sight of the chaos known as the student body **(I ain't joking)**. Kids running around like chimps on drugs, teachers preparing to take their daily medication to get through the day and some of them are just taking flat out shelter.

He then pulled out another piece of paper to find which locker that he was assigned to. "Another year of educational and social oppression" the child muttered.

* * *

**(Kat)**

Not too far behind, the blue haired lass entered the school was greeted with the same amount of chaos and shenanigans. Kat couldn't help but scoff, _'Morons'_ she thought. Then she proceeded to pull out a piece of paper from her bag to find her designated locker. "Year 5 of attending the intellectual wasteland that is Royal Woods Elementary" she muttered underneath her breath.

* * *

**(Lincoln)**

Lincoln did manage to find his locker just before the bell rang; it was actually very close to his homeroom.

* * *

**(Kat)**

After making a quick pit-stop to the little girls' room, the blue haired lass managed to find her locker which was coincidentally the one next to a certain snow haired child's locker.

* * *

As the children made the way to their homeroom class Lincoln quickly remembered the doctor's note Lori gave him. As he pulled it out from his pocket, the remembered that day quite vividly.

**(4 years ago…)**

_It was just another Friday night, Rita and Lynn Sr. went out for their "Date Night" and left Lori in charge. And all was going so smoothly. Leni was feeding little Lisa in the kitchen along with the twins Lana & Lola, Luan was in the living room watching a comedy special on TV, Lynn was outside practicing for her next soccer game, Lucy was also outside but sitting under a tree writing poetry and Lincoln was hanging out with Luna._

_Yep, all was right in the world in Lori's mind. That is, until the unthinkable happened._

_A very loud rumbling noise shook the whole house followed by screaming and crying. Lori sprang into "Protector Mode" and ran as fast as she could up the stairs. When she reached Luna and Luan's room, she was greeted with the horrifying sight that she had ever seen. Lincoln was on the floor in a fetal position crying his eyes out and had his hands covering his ears. And then there was Luna, the poor musician was on her knees and crying as well and kept saying how sorry she was. Lori decided to call 911 and then would ask questions later._

_As she finished the emergency call, an ambulance drove up the house about five minutes later._

_Needless to say, that Rita and Lynn Sr. were not too thrilled to get a call from the hospital saying all their children were in the emergency waiting room. As the parents wrapped up their dinner, they rushed to the hospital to find out what was going on. As they swung those doors open they were greeted to the sight of Lori scolding Luna, Leni trying to keep the twins and Lisa calm, Luan and Lucy were sitting and trying to not cry and poor Lynn was trying not lash out at Luna but it was very obvious that something was wrong._

_But Lincoln was nowhere to be found._

_But then came a doctor and asked for Rita and Lynn Sr. to come with him. He brought them to his office and there was little Lincoln on the patient bed looking very sad. The doctor explained that there was an accident that caused the snow haired child to have a constant low ringing in both of his ears.  
This caused the parents to put two and two together, Luna must have been playing her guitar too loud again and Lincoln must have had a front row seat._

_Meanwhile, Lori was still in the process of tearing Luna a new one. "How in the world could you do something this stupid?!" she yelled at the poor musician. "I…I…I…" Luna stammered but couldn't find the right words._

"_I swear, if you made Lincoln lose his hearing completely…" Lori didn't finish her rant as the doctor, Rita, Lynn Sr. and Lincoln came back into the waiting room. The doctor then began to explain what he told Rita, Lynn Sr. and Lincoln to the girls. Needless to say, Lori was growing unhappier by the second. But then again, what big sister would want to hear that her little brother now has tinnitus possibly for the rest of his life all because of someone who could not control herself and her damn music._

**(End of Flashback)**

While Lincoln holds no ill will to his musically inclined sister, the same could not be said for the eldest Loud sister. Since then; every time the parents went out for their "Date Night", the snow haired child was watched under Lori's personal supervision. Which wasn't exactly a bad thing, Lori actually did everything in her power to make sure Lincoln was comfortable as humanly possible. But he did feel bad for Luna as whenever she would walk pass them, the eldest sister would her the evil/stink eye.

Deciding it would be better to get it out of the way, Lincoln walked over to the teacher's desk.

"Excuse me" he called out to her, "Are you my homeroom teacher?" the woman smiled. "Yes, I am your homeroom, math, history and science teacher Mrs. Johnson how may I help you young man?" the snow haired child then handed the teacher his doctor's note explaining why he's wearing earbuds.

As the educator read on, she was a little shocked. "I see" she muttered. "If it helps, I don't have the volume obnoxiously loud just enough to drown out the ringing and I can still hear people taking and or speaking to me" Lincoln spoke up. Mrs. Johnson blinked twice.

"Alright then, thank you for the information. You may take a seat if you'd like."

The snow haired child gave a quick thank you and proceeded to take a desk in the back row. Just then, a certain blue haired lass pulled up the desk next to the snow haired child. And then quickly pulled out a vintage pair of headphones and a book from her large bag.

"Alright class" Mrs. Johnson called out to all the children, "First thing on our agenda is I would like to say welcome all of you to the fifth grade…" It was at that point, Lincoln and Kat drowned out the teacher's speech with their respected MP3 devices.

* * *

**(Gym)**

After Mrs. Johnson's homeroom, math, science and history lessons; it was time for gym.  
Lincoln hated gym for several reasons. But the biggest reason being that despite doing special exercises with Lynn now and then, he was still unfortunately one of the weaker students in his class. But on the plus side, he has a special playlist for certain gym activities.

Now young Kathrine on the other hand, enjoys physical activities. During her summers, she likes to go to the local YMCA and take gymnastics and swimming classes and do yoga in her spare time.

Just then, Coach Pacowski came in and blew his whistle signaling the class to gather around.

"Alright, since this is the first day of school I'm feeling a little generous." Lincoln slightly felt less tense at that announcement. "Instead of a fitness test, we're gonna play…DODGEBALL!" In that moment, the snow haired child decided now was an excellent time to play the song, **Black Hole** by **be your own PET**.

* * *

**(Lunch)**

After a VERY painful game of dodgeball, Lincoln was thanking god his lunch break was next on his schedule. And adding the fact that his dad packed his favorite, a peanut butter and sauerkraut sandwich. Luckily for the snow haired child, students are allowed to eat outside in the designated picnic area.  
Sometimes Lincoln wished he didn't always eat alone, but this way he can listen to music while he eats.

Meanwhile, the blue haired lass was sitting under a nearby tree enjoying the lunch that chef Louie made for her today. Afterwards she pulled out her headphones and another book to read.

* * *

**(Spanish)**

"Buenas tardes mi classe" Miss DiMartino announced.  
"Buenas tardes" the class answered back well…at least the ones that didn't look like lovesick puppies. Lincoln was not one of the puppies. While he couldn't deny that she is a beautiful woman, he wanted to learn Spanish so he could properly learn a second language not to ogle and creep out the teacher. Especially since there's already this one African-American boy with glasses that's gushing blood out of his nose.

Meanwhile in the back row, Kat couldn't help but be disgusted with the amount of boys completely drooling over the teacher. _'What a bunch of horny little pigs!'_ the blue haired lass thought.

* * *

**(Art)**

For as long as anyone in the Loud family could remember, Lincoln loved to draw. So it's not rocket science why his picked this class as his second elective. In fact, there was this one time when he was his sister Lily's age, he finger painted all of the family members (at the time) on the wall. Rita and Lynn Sr. couldn't bring themselves to be mad due to how beautiful and eloquent it looked.

As for young Kathrine, she enjoyed creating abstract arts. When she was in pre-school, she made Picasso-like sculptures with just Playdoh.

* * *

**(Timeskip)**

_**BBBRRRIIINNNGGG**_

Finally, the school day was officially over. To say that students and teachers alike were happy was an understatement.

* * *

**(Lincoln)**

As the snow haired child grabbed his belongings from his locker, he then met up with his younger sisters and then made their way outside to wait for Lori to come pick them up.

While waiting, he asked the girls how their first day back went.

"My new teacher reminds me of Edgar Allen Poe" Lucy answered. "Hopps accidentally got loose but the teacher was surprisingly was a good sport about it. She even offered to build him a little habitat so he could still be by me during class" Lana answered. "Aside from Lana's story, I had a few girls recognize me from my last few pageants and asked for my autograph" Lola answered. "I managed to fix the broken electric pencil sharpener" Lisa answered while blushing and looking down at her feet. Lincoln couldn't help but find that adorable. Lisa might be only 4, but she's also a super genius. But at the same time, she feels self-conscious about it. Just then, all five kids could hear the familiar horn of the family van.

* * *

**(Kat)**

Meanwhile, the blue haired lass was gathering her things from her locker. Just then her phone began to vibrate; she pulled it out to see that she received a text from her mom.

**Mom:** **"So sorry to tell you this, but both your father and I are working a little late tonight and we both couldn't get out of it so Kirby will be picking you up."**

As Kat finished reading her mom's message, she couldn't help but let out a long sad sigh. Not to say that her parents are complete workaholics, but she really wished that she could talk about her day with a LEAST one of them. Their chauffeur Kirby is nice, but she didn't want to dump all of her "problems" onto the poor driver.

Just then, she could see the driver in question pulling up to the school.

* * *

**(Lincoln)**

As the younger Loud children rode back to the house, Lori asked them how their day was. Lucy, the twins and Lisa gave the same story they told Lincoln. But the snow haired child stayed quiet the whole time.  
Lori sensed this, but decided to wait a little while to talk to him one-on-one.

* * *

**(Kat)**

On the way back to her house, the whole ride there was in complete silence.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Location: the Loud house)**

After returning home, the snow haired child immediately headed for his room downstairs. Currently, he's laying down on his bed staring up at the ceiling with his stereo turned on to song **Wake Me Up When September Ends **by** Green Day**.

_**KNOCK-KNOCK**_

"It's open!" Lincoln called out to whoever was at his door. He hears footsteps coming down the stairs to reveal Lori. The snow haired child looked up and then repositioned himself so she could sit next to him.  
Lincoln noticed that his oldest sister had a certain look in her eyes.

In his experience, that usually means that she needed to talk to him about something.

"So, I noticed that you were awfully quiet on the way home today" she started, "Is there anything you would like to tell me?" she asked. The lone son lightly scoffed, "No. It's just nothing overly amazing happened to me today, that's all" he answered. Lori couldn't help but frown at Lincoln's demeanor.

Out of pure instinct, she leans in closer and pulls her only brother into a hug.

"I know school is a sore subject for you. And I wish I could say it gets better but the best thing you can do is just take it one day at a time." Lincoln had to stiffen a giggle, "You make it sound like I'm an alcoholic."

At that remark, Lori had to stop herself from laughing.

Later that night, the family gathered together at the dinner table for Lynn Sr.'s signature lasagna.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: Kat's house)**

After the long ride back home, the blue haired lass thanked Kirby and then proceeded to head inside. Since that her parents might not be back until late, she decided to be sneaky and order herself pizza for dinner tonight. After the pizza got delivered, she had to sneak pass chef Louie so she could enjoy it without having to hear the usual "Pizza is bad for your health" speech. After her meal, she pulled out her tablet and signed on to her Netflix app to catch up on some shows she was watching over the summer.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: the Loud house)**

After dinner, Lincoln headed back down to his room to play a game of Super Mario Bros. on his TV before going to bed for the night. As usual, he managed to beat the game with a new record time.

After playing several other games, the snow haired child looked at his clock and saw it was time for bed.  
He went to his bathroom to take one last leak, then wash his hand and bush his teeth. Afterwards, he took off his clothes and then began to put on his pajamas. Then he laid back down on his bed and turned off the lamp on his side table.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: Kat's house)**

After catching up on a few of her shows, the blue haired lass saw how late it was getting.  
She turned off her tablet and began doing her own nighttime routine. After getting own her pajamas and turning off any unnecessary lights, she climbed back into bed.

* * *

So that concludes a look inside a day in the lives of Lincoln Loud and Kat Ketchum.

Two children with completely opposite social backgrounds but at the same time, they're almost the same. Only time will tell what would become of those two down the road. But like I said before, everything happens for a reason.

* * *

**(Next time…)**  
"New Comic Day, New Friend"

* * *

**Lincoln's playlist:**

"Ooh La-La" by the Faces  
"Ride" by The Vines  
"Great DJ" by The Ting Tings  
"Don't Call Me In The Morning" by Josh Fix  
"Black Hole" by be your own PET  
**(cover)** "Nowhere Man" by Paul Westerberg  
"Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day

* * *

**AN: I hope all you readers out there have a happy holiday :)**

* * *

**And Delquea if you're reading this, do your worst. Give me your best shot. There ain't nothing you could say that will bring me down on this project.**


	2. New Comic Day, New Friend

***Disclaimer* I do not own the Loud House.**

* * *

**AN: Two months later...I am SO sorry for the hiatus. Things were happening in my personal life and that's all I can say**

* * *

"These last few days are among the happiest I've ever ignored."  
**\- Douglas C. Kenney**

* * *

**(One school week later…)  
(Location: the Loud house)**

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Royal Woods. And at a certain house located on Franklin Ave. the people inside were for certain taking advantage of the beautiful day.

Lori is staying at home to write a few college application letters, Leni and some of her gal pals are hanging out at the mall, Luna had band practice, Luan had a birthday performance, Lynn was hanging out with some of her teammates at the park, Lucy opted to stay home as well to write poetry in peace, the twins were attending the party Luan's performing at because the birthday girl happens to be a friend of theirs and Lisa and Lily were with the parents visiting Pop-Pop at Sunset Canyon Retirement Home.

Now, what about o'l Lincoln Loud?

Currently, the snow haired child was in his room mentally checking off items he was putting into his pockets. _'Wallet, check. House keys, check. Phone, check. iPod, check…'_ Afterwards, he went upstairs to talk to Lori.

"Hey I'm heading out to Savino's Comics, is that okay?" the snow haired child asked the oldest sister. "Of course" she answered, "Do you need me to give you a ride?" she asked. "Nah, I think a walk will do me good" he replied. "Just remember to bring along your phone in case I call or if you need to call me" she requested.

"I will" he told her.

* * *

**(Scene Change)  
(Location: Kat's house)**

Meanwhile in a different part of town, we see a certain blue haired lass gathering belongings together and putting into her big blue handbag. "Wallet, check. House keys, check. Phone, check. MP3 player, check. Extra books, check…" literally checking off a list she wrote in a little notebook.

Afterwards, young Kathrine made her way downstairs. As she made her way to the kitchen, she was hit with the beautiful sent of Belgium waffles waiting for at the table along with her parents.

'…_okay maybe, I have a little bit of time to eat breakfast' _she thought with a sly smile.  
After eating about…at least 3 rounds of waffles, the blue haired lass had to pry herself away from the ever-so delicious breakfast food. "So kiddo, have any plans for today?" her father asked. Kat gulped down the last bit of waffle before answering, "If it's okay with you and mom, I was planning to go downtown for the day."

"Well I don't see a problem with that; do you want one of us or Kirby to drive you?" Richard asked. Kat shook her head, "Actually I was thinking of walking. You know, build up cardio and all that kind of jazz." To emphasize, the blue haired lass moved her arms in a power walk like fashion. Both Richard and Catlin had tried to suppress laughing at their daughters' antics, but ultimately failed.

Even the blue haired lass had to laugh at herself at that. After bidding her parents goodbye, she excused herself from the table and took one last look into her bag to make extra sure she had everything she needed for her outing.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Scene Change)**

**(Lincoln)**

Meanwhile, the snow haired child was walking down the street dancing and lip syncing along to beat of the song **Harlem Shuffle** by **Bob and Earl** without a care in the world. While Lincoln might not be a musician like Luna, needless to say he has a very unique taste in music.

* * *

**(Kat)**

The blue haired lass was skipping along to the song **Good Day Sunshine** by **The Beatles**. While some would scoff at the little rich girls' choice in music, Kat preferred older bands like this over "modern" music.

* * *

**(Scene Change)  
(Location: Savino's Comics)**

**(Lincoln)**

Since this wasn't the snow haired child's first time coming here on foot, he managed to find the building with no problem whatsoever. As Lincoln opened the door, he was greeted to the sound of an infamous all-girl Canadian 90s band. _'God, I love this place'_ the boy thought.

**(Kat)**

Meanwhile, the blue haired lass arrived at the same location not too long after Lincoln.

As she turned off her MP3 player and taking off her headphones our female lead took a moment to survey the land, if you will. Now again, some would be surprised at the girls' choice to spend a Saturday afternoon but Kat wasn't like most little rich girls. In fact she loathed that stereotype.

After a quick minute, she proceeded to the "Graphic Novels" aisle.

* * *

Meanwhile with Lincoln, he was already in the fore mentioned aisle skimming the shelves looking for something in particular. _'I hope I'm not too late and it's sold out'_ the snow haired child thought. Now a certain blue haired lass was just a little bit smarter and pre-ordered in advance for a particular book, she's just perusing the isle to see if anything else catches her eyes. _'Hmmm…too gory, too mature, too corny, parents would never let me read that in a million years…'_ Kat thought as she skimmed the shelves.

As the two children were skimming the shelves from opposite sides of the aisle, neither one of noticed the other. So as they got closer and closer to each other, it was only a matter of time until…

_**BONK! OOOF! THUD!**_

Both children landed on their keisters after bonking each other in the head.

Slightly dazed and confused, the children shook their heads to regain composure. "Why don't you watch where you're going?!" They shouted in unison. The other customers shushed them, as they we're being too loud **(no pun intended)**.

As the children got back up and dusted themselves off, they took a moment to look each other in the eyes. _"That girl/boy looks familiar…"_ the children thought in unison. "I know you from somewhere…" Kat started, "Do you go to Royal Woods Elementary?" the blue haired lass asked. "Yeah" Lincoln answered, "Who's your homeroom teacher?" Kat asked, "Mrs. Johnson" the snow haired child answered. "No kidding, that's my homeroom teacher too" Kat replied. Lincoln then thought for a moment "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have Gym with Pacowski or Spanish with Miss DiMartino or Art with Ms. Mumford?" the snow child asked as he was racking his brain as to why the girl in front of him looked so familiar.

Kat simply answered with, "Yes to all those questions." "So do I" Lincoln replied.

"I'm Kat, by the way" the blue haired lass introduced herself as she stuck out her hand. "Lincoln Loud" the snow haired child introduced himself as he shook her hand.

'_She's got really soft hands….'_ Lincoln thought. _'He surprisingly…has really soft hands…'_ Kat thought.

As the two kids broke off the handshake, they found themselves surprisingly quiet. Until Lincoln spoke up, "So... Err... What are you doing here? I mean, not that I don't think girls read comics, it's just... You know...?" the snow haired child stammered in complete awkwardness.

But to his surprise Kat wasn't looking angry, instead she was giggling very softly. "You're awkward, but I can tell a good kind of awkward" the blue haired lass replied.

"To answer your question, I came to pick up a pre-order and also just simply browsing around" Kat explained, "What about you? What brings an obviously sophisticated gentleman like yourself to a place like this?" she asked Lincoln. "Well…" the snow haired child started, "I came here looking for a particular book. The latest issue of Ace Savvy: Beyond" Lincoln explained. This caught the blue haired lass by surprise.

Then Lincoln continued, "I would've pre-ordered it, but someone else beat me to it and I was kind of hoping that it would actually be in the store" Lincoln finished. Now Kat felt slightly guilty, because she was the one who snagged the last pre-order. But then, a little ol' idea popped into the blue haired lass' mind.

"Hey, it's a little too bit close corners here" Kat spoke, "Do you maybe…want to grab some lunch…at the Burpin' Burger…my treat?" the blue haired lass offered. Needless to say that Lincoln was VERY happy at the prospect of lunch at one of his favorite restaurants. He had only saved up enough money for the comic itself. "Sure" Lincoln answered, "Just let me text my sister that I have a change in plans and that I won't be home until a little bit later." Kat nodded in response. In fact, she decided that she would text her parents as well.

After sending out messages to their respective people, the kids decided to head back out.

But then Kat stopped.

"Hey, before we go there's just one last thing I need to take care of. It'll just take a minute or so…" "I'll wait outside for you" Lincoln told her. The blue haired lass thanked the snow haired child for understanding. With that, Lincoln left to go sit on the bench outside while Kat went over to the counter to pick up her pre-order. "Hey Darin…" she asked the cashier, "If it's not too much trouble I need your help tracking down another copy of the latest issue of Ace Savvy: Beyond." The aging cashier was a little surprised at the request, but quickly put two and two together when he remembered her talking to that white haired boy.

He agreed and said that he'll call her if he gets any word. Kat thanked Darin for helping her out.

After finishing up and putting her new comic into her big blue handbag, the blue haired lass went outside to meet up with the snow haired child. "So…if you don't mind me asking, what was it you needed to take of?" Lincoln asked. Kat replied with, "Oh…just needed to pick up my pre-order and asked the cashier if he could keep his eye out for another book I've had my eye on for."

The blue haired lass hated hiding this, but she really wanted to keep the comic a surprise.

* * *

**(Scene Change)  
(Location: the Burpin' Burger)**

It didn't take very long for the two kids to walk down to the famous burger joint.

"Welcome to the Burpin' Burger home of the "Double Belcher" can I take your order?" a teenage employee named Grant recited. "We'll take 2 Burpin' combos, a Mint Chip Blast milkshake with no whip cream and…" Kat looked over to Lincoln and asked what kind of drink he wanted.

"Vanilla milkshake and also with no whip cream" he answered.

After ringing up the two orders with Kat's credit card, Grant said to wait for when he calls their meals. So the kids got a table by a window that they could see the Royal Woods mall from where they were sitting.

"So Lincoln I'm curious, how come you keep a pair of headphones in your ears?" Kat asked. "It's a long story filled with sighs…the short version is that I have tinnitus due an accident when I was little and I still have an hum in drum and listening to music helps drown it out" Lincoln explained. Kat was taken aback by Lincoln's answer. She never knew anybody much less her own age that had hearing problems.

Not even her grandfather.

"What kind of music do you listen to?" Kat asked. "Well…that's kind of a big question" Lincoln answered.  
The blue haired lass raised an eyebrow in confusion. "I like a lot of different genres and bands, so it's hard for me to answer that kind of question" the snow haired child explained.

"Mind if I asked you something?" Lincoln spoke. Kat nodded in response. "What kind of comics do you like to read?" the snow haired child asked. Luckily, the blue haired lass anticipated this. "Well…I mostly like to dabble in all forms of the medium. Such as comic books, graphic novels, webcomics, manga, webtoons…can't really that I read anything specifically" she answered. "No way, me too" Lincoln replied, "although, as you know from earlier I like the Ace Savvy: Beyond series."

Kat nodded in understandment, especially since she got the latest issue for herself.

"ORDER UP!" the kids heard Grant shout.

"I'll grab out meals" Lincoln offered. Kat gave a quick thank you as the snow haired child went to pick up their food. _'I really hope that Darin pulls off a miracle for me…'_ the blue haired lass thought. Kat snapped back into reality when the sound of two trays hit the table. Lincoln slid her tray that had the mint chip milkshake while he took the tray that had the plain vanilla milkshake. "Thank you again, for lunch" Lincoln told Kat.

The blue haired lass waved a dismissal gesture, "Think nothing of it. It's nice to have the company" she said.

The two kids began eating their mouthwatering burgers with smiles on their faces, then a few French fries and then a few sips of their milkshakes. "Somehow, I thought you be a chocolate guy" Kat spoke. Lincoln laughed, "I don't really uh, subscribe to any labels" he answered back. "Besides, my sisters have the honor of being crowned chocoholics." The word 'sisters' peeked Kat's interest.

"Earlier you said you have a sister…" the blue haired lass spoke as she took a bite from her burger, "how many sisters do you have?" she asked with curiosity in her tone. "10" Lincoln answered as if it was no big deal.

Kat's jaw felt like dropping all the way to the ground when he said that he has TEN sisters.

Lincoln continued, "5 older and 5 younger. My older sisters are Lori who's 17, Leni who's 16, Luna who's 15, Luan who's 14 and Lynn who's 13. My younger sisters are Lucy who's 8, Lana and Lola who's 6, Lisa who is 4 and Lily who's 15 months." Kat felt like she was about to pass out after learning all of that.

"What about you, what's your family like?" Lincoln asked the blue haired lass. "Oh…well, there's not really much to say, it's just me and my mom and dad. I'm an only child" she explained.

"What's it like? Having that many sisters, I mean" Kat asked wanting to changing the subject.

The snow haired child thought for moment before answering. "The best way to describe it is controlled chaos." Lincoln answered, "Lori is considered the leader. Without her organizing all of us, we would never get anything done. Leni's not exactly the brightest…but she has a heart of gold and an incredible fashion designer in her own right. Luna is the musician that loves to crank it up to 11. Luan is the resident comedian that loves to make all of us laugh. Lynn is what I like to call the all-American athlete. Lucy I like to call her my special little vampire. Lana may be young, but she's the resident handywoman and mechanic. Lola competes in beauty pageants. Lisa for being so young is the super genius of the family. And little Lily is just the most adorable baby in the wide world" Lincoln finished describing his sisters to Kat.

Meanwhile, the blue haired lass was hanging on to the snow haired child's every word. She knew that her parents wanted to have more children but unfortunately, it just wasn't in the cards.

After awhile, they finished eating and Lincoln offered to clean up. He piled their wrappers, used napkins, and empty cups on top of the tray and took the tray to the trash can near the entrance. He dropped the trash into the hole and placed the tray on top of a rack on the trash can where the sign had instructed him to do so.

Then he walked over and held the door open for Kat, receiving a nice smile from her.

As they stepped outside and looked at their surroundings, neither one not knowing what to really say to the other. But then Kat had another little ol' idea. "Give me your phone" she instructed Lincoln. The snow haired child looked confused but did what she asked. Then Kat pulled out her phone from her big blue handbag and then after a minute and a half, she handed Lincoln back his phone. "I programmed my number into your phone and added your number to mine" she explained, "this has been the highlight of my week and I would like to do this again sometime." Lincoln smiled, "I'd like that too."

_**VVVBBBTTT**_

The sounds of vibrating cell phones snapped the kids back into reality. They looked down and saw who was texting them. For Lincoln, it was Lori and for Kat, it was her mom.

The kids sighed, "That was my sister Lori" Lincoln said, "She says that my parents came back with my grandpa Pop-Pop who wants to treat all of us to dinner at Giovanni Changs for dinner and she wants me to come home and get cleaned up." "Ironic" Kat spoke, "My mom just texted that my grandfather just popped by for visit and she sent Kirby to pick me up." "Who's Kirby?" Lincoln asked. "Our chauffer" Kat answered in a casual tone.

'_Her family's got a chauffeur?!'_ Lincoln thought.

Just then, a black car pulled up to the two children. Kat sighed, "That's him. I need to get going now." "So uh…if don't see you again at anytime this weekend, I guess I'll see you at school on Monday." Lincoln said.

"Yeah I guess so." Kat forced a smile.

The blue haired lass really wanted to spend more with the snow haired child but at the same time, her grandfather couldn't visit as much as he used to when she was younger. Then Lincoln stuck out his hand, Kat smiled as she shook his hand and then pulled him into and a tight hug.

"Thank you so much for today" she whispered into the snow haired child's ear.

With that, the blue haired lass bid the snow haired child goodbye and got into the car. Lincoln waved goodbye one last time hoping that she saw him as the car drove away.

Then the snow haired child began to walk back home so his family doesn't send out a search party to retrieve him. _'Ketchum…why does that name sound familiar?'_ Lincoln thought.

* * *

**(Later that night…)**

* * *

**(Lincoln)**

We find the snow haired child relaxing in his room listening to music and reading one of his older Ace Savvy: Beyond comics in his pajamas. Dinner with Pop-Pop went great; everyone talked about how their day went but strangely enough he couldn't bring himself to talk about his day with Kat. But then again it might've been for self preservation, he didn't want the girls or his parents or even Pop-Pop to get the wrong idea.

Plus, he himself wasn't too sure what to think.

He enjoyed spending the day with Kat, he wasn't denying that. But this was new for him, for a long time the snow haired child never really had anyone outside of his family he could call a friend. _'Maybe on Monday, I should try talking to her during homeroom'_ the snow haired child thought to himself.

After awhile, Lincoln turned off his stereo and brushed his teeth and then turned off the light and then blissfully went off into dreamland. Wondering what the future may hold.

* * *

**(Kat)**

After a nice formal dinner at home with her parents and grandfather, we find the blue haired lass in her bedroom clad in pajamas watching Netflix shows off of her tablet. Currently, she was re-watching the first season of Hilda. She first got interested in the cartoon when she saw the main character with blue hair she felt that she could relate to that. But then became fully invested as the more episodes she watched.

_**VVVBBBTTT**_

Just then, she heard her phone vibrating. She looked at the caller I.D. and saw it was Darin. The blue haired lass beamed with excitement. She hit "pause" on her tablet and then pressed "talk" on her phone. "Yeah…you were able to find one…excellent, how long will it take for it to arrive?...Monday?...that works out for me...okay, thank so much for all your help." With that, she ended her call.

Then Kat let out a breath of relief that Darin was able to pull off a miracle. Come Monday morning, she will be able to give Lincoln a surprise of a lifetime.

'_I know that I just met Lincoln, but there's something…special…about him and I'm curious to know what it is. I think I'll give the comic during lunch so that we could be alone together and away from any annoying mouthbreathers.'_ As the blue haired lass finished devising a plan in her head, she turned off her tablet and then brushed her teeth and then came back to bed after turning off her lamp and then turning in for the night.

* * *

So…my fellow readers, that was an interesting turn of events for our protagonists.

What was supposed to be a simple outing alone turned into an experience that neither Lincoln nor Kat will ever forget. And hopefully, things will go smooth for the pre-teens once they return to school the coming Monday. Especially since ol' Lincoln Loud will be receiving a "token of appreciation" if you will.

* * *

**(Next time…) **  
"That's What Friends Are For"

* * *

**Lincoln's playlist:**

"Harlem Shuffle" by Bob & Earl  
"Good Day Sunshine" by The Beatles  
"Scott Pilgrim" by Plumtree  
"Go!" by Plumtree  
"I've Just Seen a Face" by The Beatles  
"Mr. Sandman" by Four Aces

* * *

**AN: I would like to thank you all again for your patience.**


	3. That's What Friends Are For

***Disclaimer* I do not own The Loud House.**

* * *

**AN: What's this, a new chapter that came out in less than two months?! WHOAH!**

* * *

**(Monday morning)  
(Location: the Loud house)**

"LINCOLN! TIME TO GET UP FOR SCHOOL !" Lori called out. But didn't any kind of response. _'This isn't like him…'_ she thought, _'he's usually up by now.'_ The eldest sister decided to investigate.

As she went into her brother's room, she found him completely showered and dressed for the day. Lori even smelled a hint of deodorant. But what concerned her was that the snow haired child was just sitting on his bed completely spaced out. She nudged him on the shoulder ever so slightly…then Lincoln snapped back into reality as he looked over and saw Lori looking at him with concern.

"Is everything alright Lincoln?" Lori asked in a motherly tone.

"It's nothing…" the snow haired child muttered. Lori frowned. _'Something's wrong, he doesn't shut me out without a good reason…' _"Linc…" the eldest drawled out as she sat down next to the boy. "…you know you can talk to me right?" the snow haired child couldn't look Lori in the eye. Not because he was ashamed or embarrassed, but more conflicted. How could he talk about something if he himself couldn't figure it out?

"Remember when I went out on Saturday?" Lincoln asked. Lori nodded in response.

"Well when I was at the comic book store, I bumped into someone from my class. Her name is Kat. She's a girl from my class that likes to read comics. So what do I do? I stammer and said something stupid like I was a stand-in for a Michael Cera movie." Lori was a little surprised to hear this but something in her mind told her that the story wasn't over. "But by some miracle, she wasn't offended. In fact she wanted to keep the conversation going. So that's why I texted you that I would be home later. She treated the both of us to lunch at the Burpin' Burger and we had an interesting conversation. She talked about what kind of comics she liked to read. She asked about the earbuds so I gave her the short version of the story. I talked about you guys a little bit, and then she told me that she was an only child. After we finished eating, she took it upon herself to put my number into her phone and vice-versa." Lori again was surprised.

'_A bold little one she is…'_ she thought.

"Anyway, we went our separate ways when you texted me saying that I needed to come home and Kat needed to go due to her own family stuff. I haven't seen her since, but I doubt she'll want to be seen talking to a loser like me at school." The eldest frowned at the end of Lincoln's story.

She hated the fact that Lincoln had such a low opinion of himself.

"Linc…" Lori spoke up, "You really need to stop selling yourself so short." The snow haired child looked up at his sister, "Do you know the one thing that all the people that's ever made fun of you have in common?" she asked, Lincoln shook his head no in response. "They're all so insecure about themselves that in their twisted minds the only way they feel better is to put other people down. I think whoever this girl is, must be pretty special if she was able to get you to open up about yourself. And I think she sees something within you too if she went out of her way to give you her number right off the bat. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Lincoln took the moment to let Lori's words of motivational wisdom sink in.  
_"She's not wrong…"_ the snow haired child heard the little voice inside of him say, _"if Kat really was like the rest of them, she wouldn't have been so nice to you."_ Lincoln knew that the little voice inside and Lori were right.

"It would be nice…to actually have a friend…" Lincoln spoke in soft tone, but Lori heard it anyway.  
And in response, she pulled her only brother into hug.

"Believe in yourself Linc…like I do." She whispered into her brother's ear.

* * *

**(Meanwhile…)**

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: the Ketchum residence)**

The blue haired lass was waiting patiently in her living room for Kirby to come back with Lincoln's present.

She would've gone herself, but chef Louie was preparing blueberry crepes for breakfast and she REALLY didn't want to pass those wonderfully delicious crepes. Anyway, as she sat on her sofa quietly twiddling her thumbs in anticipation she didn't notice that someone was coming up right behind her.

"Whatcha doing sweetie?" Mrs. Ketchum asked her daughter as she nearly jumped a foot up in the air.

"Jeez mom, give a girl some warning next time" Kat huffed as she regained momentum. "Sorry, I just got back from a jog and I wanted to see what you were doing in here" Mrs. Ketchum explained. At first, the blue haired lass was hesitant to tell her mother what was troubling her. But then she thought she might be helpful.

"Mom, do you remember when I went out last Saturday?" Kat asked, Mrs. Ketchum then nodded.

"Well when I went to Savino's Comics to pick up my pre-order, I bumped into someone from my class. At first I thought he was just another doofus, but then I saw him. He didn't act like everyone else. He was kind, gentle and a little awkward but a good kind. He told me his name was Lincoln. It was nice being able to talk to someone like that." Mrs. Ketchum smiled at the thought of her little girl coming out of her shell.

"And then when he told me that he was there to find a copy of the latest issue of Ace Savvy: Beyond, I felt guilty since I was the one who snagged the last copy. I wanted to make it up to him, so I asked an employee if he could find another copy anywhere. Later that night I got a call from him saying he was able to find it but it wouldn't be available for me to pick it up until today. I sent Kirby to pick it up because I wanted some of chef Louie's delicious blueberry crepes…" Mrs Ketchum knew her daughter has a little weakness for blueberry crepes. She couldn't blame her, chef Louie's crepes were to die for.

"But I couldn't bring myself to tell him the truth at the time. So instead I treated the both of us to lunch at the Burpin' Burger. Then we starting talking more. Lincoln talked about what is what like having 10 sisters."

Mrs. Ketchum nearly stroked out after hearing how many sisters this boy had.

"After we finished eating, I really didn't want it to end. So I asked for his phone and programmed my number into it and then programmed his number into mine." Mrs. Ketchum couldn't help but snicker at her daughter's forwardness. _'She gets that from her father…'_ the matriarch thought to herself.

"I haven't seen him since that day; I'm hoping that he'll be at school today. I really hope that he likes the comic…" as Kat finished her little story, her cheeks became noticeably pinker. This didn't go unnoticed by her mother, but chose not to say anything in fear that her daughter just might put back up her defense walls.

But needless to say, that she was surprised to say the least to know that her daughter went through such lengths for a boy that she knew for a day. But at the same time…she wanted to squeal with joy that her daughter made a friend. But kept a calm demeanor but on the inside, she was doing cartwheels.

"Mom, am I crazy for doing this?" Kat asked her mother.

The matriarch pulled her daughter into a one-arm hug and asked her, "Let me answer that question with a question of my own, what does Lincoln mean to you?" Young Kathrine had to take a moment to ponder.

"He's…the first person in a long time that treated me as a person, not a living ATM machine. He's the first person that made me feel okay being a comic book reader. He's the first person that gave me just a little more faith in humanity and not to assume the worst in people. And I know it seems like I'm trying to buy his friendship with this comic, but it's really to show how much I appreciated his company."

Then the blue haired lass looked straight at her mother, "On the first day of school you told me that a true friend will like me for I am and not what I have…and I think that Lincoln is that person." Catlin couldn't help but sniffle and shed a little tear, she felt so happy for her daughter. '_When I meet this Lincoln in person…I need to give him a great big hug'_ she thought.

As the mother and daughter sat in silence, they failed to notice their male housekeeper Jameson walking in. "I hate to break up this tender moment, but I have this parcel for Miss Kathrine" he spoke. Kat took the plastic bag from Jameson and then looked what was inside. When she saw that it was Lincoln's comic and seeing it was the right issue, she let out an uncharacteristically squeal of joy.

"Okay now that I have the present, I'm going to the kitchen for one last round of chef Louie's blueberry crepes and then I will go back to my room and get ready for school love. Love you all." With that, young Kathrine raced to the kitchen at neck-breaking speed and then zoomed faster than Sonic the Hedgehog to get to her bedroom. Jameson then turned to Mrs. Ketchum, "Did…I miss something here?" he asked her.

All the matriarch could do is shake her head and smile. _'Yep, just like her father'_ she thought to herself.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: Royal Woods Elementary school)**

* * *

**(Lincoln)**

After having a personal and heartfelt conversation with Lori, the two joined forces to coral the rest of the siblings into the Loud family van and get everyone to their respective schools.

"Okay, first drop off is for Royal Woods Elementary. Lincoln, Lucy, Lana, Lola and Lisa this is your stop" Lori called out in a train conductor's tone. As they exited the van in singled filed fashion, Lori asked for Lincoln to come back. "What's up?" Lincoln asked, "I just want to remind you that it's going to be okay" Lori told him. Lincoln gave a soft smile, "Thanks Lori" he muttered. "Remember, believe in yourself." Lori reminded.

"I will." Lincoln spoke. With that, the lone son headed inside the school.

Before driving to the middle school to drop Lynn off, Lori waited for Lincoln to enter the building safely.  
The eldest smiled, _'You got this little brother. I believe in you'_ she thought as she drove away.

* * *

**(Kat)**

After getting properly ready for school, the blue haired lass asked her mother if she could drive her.

Slightly knowing why, she agreed. As the matriarch pulled up to the building she put the car in park. Catlin looked over to her daughter and saw that she was slightly shaking and gripping very tightly to the bottom of her seat. Fortunately the matriarch knew what to do, she moved Kat's left bang and began to scratch behind the ear. Slowly but surely, the blue haired lass began to lose her grip of her seat and stopped shaking.

"Thanks, I needed that" Kat told her mother.

"Just remember; keep calm, take deep breaths if necessary" Catlin instructed. "I know" Kat replied. The matriarch placed her hand on her daughter's shoulder, "You got this. If Lincoln really is the kind of person you said he is, then there's nothing not even the million and one 'what ifs' in your mind that should stop you."

Kat had to take a moment to process her mother's words.

"I know you're right. But I can't help but have this feeling that he'll reject me" Kat spoke in a sad tone.  
"Believe in yourself" Catlin told her daughter. "For that's the place to start" Kat replied back with a smile.

The mother and daughter shared a good laugh.  
Then they hugged and then the blue haired lass gave a quick "I love you" and "Goodbye" and then stepped out of the car and then practically ran all the way to the front doors.

* * *

**(Lincoln)**

Meanwhile, the snow haired child was at his locker putting away his backpack and grabbing the necessary schoolbooks. And in that time, he thought about what he would say to Kat when he sees her.

'_Just keep cool'_ he thought, _'what could possibly go wrong?'_

**-Enter: Fantasy Sequence-**

_As Lincoln walks into Ms. Johnson's classroom, he sees Kat reading a book at her desk that was coincidently next to his. He smiles, and then he walks over to her. "Hi Kat" he spoke. The blue haired lass looked up from her book and looked straight at the snow haired child. "Do…I….know you…?" she asked._

_Lincoln was shocked. "It's me, Lincoln Loud." He said to her_.

_Kat looked at him intensely. Then she grew a very unnerving smile. "Lincoln…" she drawled, making Lincoln feel a slight glimmer of hope. Then she let out a mad cackle, "That's…a stupid name!" Any kind of hope the snow haired child had left shattered into a million pieces. Then Kat jumped on top of her desk. "Hey everyone!" she called out to the rest of the class. "This bottom-feeder actually thinks that he know me" she bellowed. Then the rest of Lincoln's class let out a mad cackle as well. "What a joke, I mean look at him!" Kat bellowed as she pointed straight at Lincoln. "FREAK!" she shouted. Then she got the rest of the class to chant along with her._

"_FREAK!" "FREAK!" "FREAK!" "FREAK!" "FREAK!"_

_Then Lincoln collapsed onto the floor in a fetal position covering his ears while bursting into tears._

**-Exit: Fantasy Sequence-**

As Lincoln snapped himself out of that dark scenario and back to reality, he tried to calm himself back down. _'Kat is not like the others'_ he thought. Then he remembered Lori's words, _**"Believe in yourself" **_"Lori is absolutely right, I go to believe!" Lincoln quietly spoke.

With that, he closed his locker and headed to his homeroom class.

* * *

**(Kat)**

Meanwhile, the blue haired lass tried to make her way to her locker while navigating the crowded hallways. As she finally made it, she began putting away her big blue handbag and grabbing the necessary textbooks.

She looked both ways before pulling out Lincoln's comic from her bag one last time. As she looked at it with intense focus, she thinks about how to give it to Lincoln.

**-Enter: Fantasy Sequence-**

_It's lunchtime, and Kat is seen holding the comic waiting patiently under a tree outside._

_Just then, Lincoln came up to her with a smile on his face. She smiled back. "I have something for you" she told him. Then she handed Lincoln the comic book. He looks it over as Kat anxiously waits for him to response._

_Then Lincoln scowled, "Did you really think that you could buy me off with this?" he asked a snarky tone. Kat was shocked. This wasn't what she thought would happen. "You think you're better than me?! I'm not some dang charity case you can throw money at!" he yelled. Then he careless threw the book to the ground and lit a match and threw said match onto the comic watching burn to a crisp. All Kat could do was watch in horror as Lincoln began to maniacally laugh like someone who just escaped from an asylum._

"_Burn baby, burn!" Lincoln shouted to the sky as he continued to lose his sanity._

_Lincoln's madness drove Kat to drop to her knees in complete sadness. Then the snow haired child looked directly to her and said, "You'll always be alone." With that, Lincoln lit another match but this time he lit himself on fire and Kat screamed in horror as she witnessed Lincoln burning up from existence._

**-Exit: Fantasy Sequence-**

The blue haired lass was violently shaking and visibly tearing up at picturing Lincoln rejecting the comic book. _'No…'_ she thought. _'Lincoln's a kind, gentle soul. He's not like everyone else.'_

Then Kat remembered her mother's words, **"If Lincoln really is the kind of person you said he is, then there's nothing not even the million and one 'what ifs' in your mind that should stop you." **And then Kat thought,_'Franklin D. Roosevelt said it best, we have nothing to fear but fear itself.'_

"I need to believe!" Kat quietly spoke. With that, she put back the comic book and closed her locker and headed to homeroom to find Lincoln.

* * *

**(Meanwhile, in Mrs. Johnson's classroom…)**

* * *

To help calm his nerves, Lincoln decided to listen to **Everything's Okay** by **Lenka** while waiting for Kat's arrival. This was one of few songs that the snow haired child exclusively listened to when he felt stressed.

Just then unbeknownst to Lincoln, the blue haired lass was standing at the doorway.

When her eyes locked onto Lincoln's location, she was surprised that his desk was right next to hers. _'How the heck didn't I notice this before?'_ she thought to herself. As she was beginning to walk over to him, something happened. Kat began to freeze up, her heart starts pounding,…time stood still…all she can hear is the sound of the clock ticking,…sweat dripping from her forehead. But just then, a lone whispery voice tells her;

"_**Believe…"**_

And just like that, as if she pressed a reset button on a video game…Kat began to regain her confidence.

She struts over to Lincoln feeling like she has nothing to lose, she lightly taps him on the shoulder which causes Lincoln to startle just a bit. As he looked up at the person who disturbed his valuable music time, he sees Kat looking at him with a smile. That made him smile as well. "Hey…" he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Hi…" she said as she dug her hands deeper into her coat pockets. The two sat in silence for a moment until, "I have something I want to give you!" Kat blurted out, and then quickly covered her mouth with both her hands in embarrassment, and also to cover her ever blushing cheeks.

'_Something…for me?'_ Lincoln thought.

As Kat regained her composure; she followed with, "But...I can't give it to you here. Meet me outside at lunchtime. I…want to give to you in private." With that she took her seat and began opening a textbook.

With Lincoln, he just sat at his desk. Completely baffled at what just happened.

* * *

**(Timeskip: Lunchtime…)**

* * *

After getting though homeroom, science, math, history and a surprisingly easy gym period, it was finally lunch. Lincoln was sitting patiently at a picnic bench waiting for Kat to come.

'_I wonder what she wants to give me?'_ the snow haired child thought.

As Lincoln thought of a million and one possibilities in his head, he failed to notice that Kat was walking up to him. Noticing his "Dazed and Confused" look, she again lightly tapped his shoulder to gain his attention. This time, Lincoln wasn't easily as startled. He looks up to her as saw that she was carrying the same bag she had when they first met. "Mind if I sit next to you?" she asked in a semi-nervous tone. "Of course" Lincoln replied.

Then the blue haired lass sat down as she clutched to her bag for dear life.

Then she began to search around inside the bag. After a minute she pulled out a smaller plastic bag. She then handed the smaller bag to Lincoln. Who in return, pulled out whatever was what inside said bag.

Then Lincoln's eyes bugged out to the size as dinner plates. It was the latest issue of Ace Savvy: Beyond!

The snow haired child was beside himself. Then he looked over to Kat who looked very anxious. "How did you…?" Lincoln began to ask. Until Kat cut him off, "I have a confession to make" she told him. "The pre-order I picked up that day was the last copy of the latest issue of Ace Savvy: Beyond. The truth is I am a HUGE fan of the series, I've been following it since it was first released. Then when you told me that you were looking for it as well, I felt extremely guilty." The lass let out a small sniffle, "You're the first person in a long time that was genuinely nice to me. You're the first person that made feel free to be myself. I want you to have this comic. Not to buy your friendship, but to show you exactly how much I cherished spending that Saturday with you. I don't really have friends. For most of my childhood, kids always kept using me as a personal ATM machine. Nobody actually liked me for me, but then you came along. You treated me with nothing but kindness and respect. I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I know that I want to be your friend."

Lincoln was stunned at Kat's confession.  
Then the snow haired child took Kat's hand, "I want to be your friend too" he told her.

He continued, "I understand how you feel. I don't have any friends either. Throughout my whole childhood, kids always made fun of me whether it was my hair, or my tinnitus, or the amount of sisters I have. As the years went by I just stopped listening to all the insults being hurdled at me. And then I gave up the idea of having friends. But then I met you. You're the first person in a very long time that didn't view me as some kind of freak. You actually took the time to talk to me and get to know me. I've never been so open to a non-member of my family before. And I want you to know that I appreciate the comic very much, and I can't wait to start reading it when I can. Like you said, I know that we haven't known each other for very long. But I know that I would very much like it, if I had a chance to get to know you better."

In that moment, Kat felt like bursting into tears with joy. Now she felt like a complete fool for thinking that Lincoln wouldn't like the comic.

Lincoln then took a deep breath, "Friends?" he asked her. She smiled, "Friends" she answered. Then the two kids shared a quick hug. "Well since we're out here, do you want to have lunch together?" Lincoln asked. "I would like that very much" Kat answered. With that, the kids turned around to take out their lunches. Lincoln scored another peanut butter and sauerkraut sandwich plus a container of mac 'n' cheese bites. Kat's lunch consisted of a ham and cheese sandwich with a small bag of carrot sticks and a bottle of flavored water.

Unbeknownst to the two children, this would be the start of a beautiful friendship.

* * *

**(Next time…)**  
"I Pronounce You, Project Partners"

* * *

**Lincoln's playlist:**

"Believe in Yourself" by Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers  
"School Days" by Chuck Berry  
"My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit  
"Everything's Okay" by Lenka  
"You've Got a Friend In Me" by Randy Newman

* * *

**AN: I know some of you might be concerned of Lincoln and Kat's "worst case" scenarios might be a little on the dark side, but the reason why I did that was because I wanted to show the realism of kids having social anxiety. I had a lot of anxiety when I was young, heck I still have some to this day.**


	4. I Pronounce You, Project Partners

***Disclaimer* I do not own The Loud House**

* * *

**AN: I really have no excuses for my it took me so dag nab long to write this chapter.**

* * *

_**BBBRRRIIINNNGGG**_

After having a nice lunch together, Lincoln and Kat walked together to art class with Miss. Mumford.  
Along the way, Lincoln stopped by his locker to keep his new comic nice and safe 'till the end of the day.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: art class)**

As they got to their next class with time to spare, they each went to their assigned workstation. As more students raced inside to beat the bell, their teacher followed in suit. Miss. Alicia Mumford is a special kind of teacher; she absolutely loved teaching about all kinds of art styles. She also has that ability to bring out the best in each of her students. Especially…a certain snow haired child.

"Alight my little artists" Miss. Mumford called out to the students as she clapped her hands together to gain their attention. "This week, I have a special assignment to give. I want you to work to groups of two; I want you as a team to make an art piece that speaks to you on a personal level. As long as you feel the piece speaks about the subject matter of your choosing, anything goes. Now then; I'll be assigning Rusty and Jenny, Caleb and Caroline, Lincoln and Kathrine…"

Meanwhile, the snow haired child and blue haired lass spaced out after their teacher said their names.  
The two looked at each other with smiles on their faces. _'Hello opportunity…'_ they thought in unison.

* * *

**(Timeskip)**

_**BBBRRRIIINNNGGG**_

As the final bell rang signifying that the school day is over, we find our favorite duo of misfits chatting at their lockers. "So…" Lincoln started; "I guess we'll be spending a lot more time together after all" he spoke while trying to be cool but mostly fell short. Kat giggled at the snow haired child's attempt to being sauve.

"With that said, how do you want to handle this assignment?" the blue haired lass asks.

"Well, Miss Mumford said that we can do anything as long as it speaks to us. Whatever that means" Lincoln spoke. Then Kat thought of an idea, a really good idea. "Family" she spoke. This made Lincoln look at her with confusion. Then she continued, "The subject of our piece should be about family, our families in particular."

Lincoln thought about Kat's proposal and thought it was a great idea.

"With that said" Kat continued, "I would like to invite you to my house for dinner and spend the night." Lincoln almost lost his balance at Kat's offer. _'HOLY S***!'_ Lincoln thought to himself.

"Uh…yeah, that sounds like a plan" Lincoln stuttered, "I'll have to ask my folks but I think they'll be okay with it since it's for a school assignment. And hey maybe next time, why not you come over to my house for dinner and spend the night?" Kat smiled, "I'd love to." "Okay, it's agreed then" Lincoln spoke. "Agreed" Kat replied. "So I'll see you tonight then." Lincoln paled, and could swear that he smelled burnt toast in that moment. All he could do was nod in reply. This fortunately for him, satisfied young Kathrine.

* * *

**(Timeskip)**  
**(Scene change)  
(Location: the Loud house)**

_**THUD!**_

'_What am I gonna do?'_ Lincoln thought as he crashed onto his bed. He had to think hard about how to approach this to his parents. Just then, the snow haired child heard a knock on his door.

"Lincoln, it's me" he heard Lori call out. "It's open!" he called out back.

At first he was confused, but then he remembered this morning and realized she would want to know how it all went with Kat. _'Can't really blame her…'_ Lincoln thought, _'especially since it was her advice that kept me going._' He heard the footsteps getting louder **(no pun intended…)** "Hey little bro…" Lori spoke in a certain tone. "I take it you want to know how it went today." Lincoln asked, Lori then nodded.

Then the two siblings shared an "I got a little ol' idea" look. Lincoln looked to Lori and said, "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" "Blanket fort!" the siblings say in unison. Within a flash, Lori grabbed the blanket off of Lincoln's bed and then the snow haired child himself propped it up like a tent with both of them inside.

"So, how was school?" Lori asked, trying to play it cool and keep her poker face on. "It was good, really good actually" Lincoln answered. "What about you?" Lincoln asked back. "Oh you know same ol' high school drama." Lori answered back while visible sweat trickled down her face and twiddling her thumbs in anticipation. Lincoln was slightly amused at the fact that she wasn't asking the question she really wanted to ask him. "Lori" Lincoln spoke. She looked at her brother. "I think we both know what you really want to ask me, go on ahead." In that moment, Lori couldn't hold it in any longer. "HOWDIDITGOWITHKATIWANTTOHEAREVERYDETAIL!" she nearly shouted in one breath just before she leaned back and slightly passing out after letting it all out. Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle at his big sister.

He then decided to throw her a bone for holding it in for as long as she did.

"Okay. So during homeroom, she came up to me and she told me that she had something to give me. But she said that she'll give it me in private during lunch." Lori hung onto every word as if she was listening to the evening news. "So when it came time for lunch, we met outside by the picnic area and then she gave this." Lincoln pulled out the comic book from his backpack to show Lori. "I was shocked to say the least that she got me the latest issue of Ace Savvy: Beyond but then she confessed to me that she felt bad for snagging the last copy from the store on the day we met." It took every fiber of Lori's body not to get mushy and gushy from hearing that kind gesture on Kat's half. "She told me that she wanted me to have it as a sign of friendship."

Lori couldn't hold it in much longer and Lincoln sensed this.

The snow haired child sighed, "Go ahead" he told her. Lori then proceeded to squeal like no tomorrow. It was times like these that Lincoln was grateful for having his earbuds in. After what felt like a solid minute of squeals, Lori finally calmed down. And then phase two set in. "So... Is she cute?" she asked in a certain tone.

This made Lincoln's cheeks completely flush.

"I would like to plead the fifth on that if you don't mind" the snow haired child squeaked out. Lori couldn't help but laugh at her brother's rather flustered answer. "Relax little bro, I was only fooling around. It's not like I'm an obsessed matchmaker or anything" Lori spoke.

"With all joking aside, what happened after she gave you the comic?" she genuinely asks her little brother. "I told her I wanted to be her friend too, so we shook on it and shared a quick hug." Lincoln answers. Lori wanted to gush more, but held it in this time.

"But that's not even the craziest thing that happened" Lincoln continued. This peaks the eldest sister's interest. "After lunch, it turns out we both have the same art class. Then the teacher gives the class a special assignment. So she assigns everyone a partner, and then she paired me up with Kat. So afterwards, we discussed what the theme of our project should be on. Kat then suggested family. Our families to be exact. So then she invites me to her house for dinner and to spend the night. Tonight to be exact." Lincoln finished.

This threw Lori for a loop.

This morning she was giving her brother advice in confidence. Now she hears that not only did he make a friend, but was also invited to her house for dinner and a sleepover all in one day. "There's one more thing." Lincoln spoke, snapping Lori back into reality. "What's that?" she asks.

"I also might've invited her over to here for the next day." Lincoln finished with a sad sigh.

Lori noticed the change of her brother's demeanor. "You're feeling overwhelmed, aren't you?" she asks in a knowing tone, Lincoln nods his head in reply. Lori pulls herself closer to the snow haired child. "I've never been to someone else's house like this before, what do I do?" he asks his big sister.

"Let me ask you something, what are you the most afraid of?" Lori asks. "Everything" Lincoln muttered.

"What do you mean by 'everything'?" She pressed. "I'm afraid that I'll mess it up like all the other times I've tried to make friends. I'm afraid of doing something so incredibly stupid in front of her and her parents that they'll never want me to see her ever again. I'm afraid that Kat will realize that she's way too cool for a complete and utter loser/freak like me." It was then that the snow haired child was on the verge of tears. Lori sensed this and wrapped herself completely around him, causing them to lie down on their sides.

And then Lori did something that she hadn't done in a long time, she flicked Lincoln on the nose to get him out of this stupor. "Lincoln, listen to me. I am here to tell you that you are not a loser or a freak."

She continued, "I wish I knew more people that were like you. Kind, smart, funny and always willing to lend a helping hand. Everything you've told me about this girl sounds like she likes you FOR you, awkward moments and all. As for her parents, why wouldn't they like you? You have more manners and etiquette than any other 11 year old I know. I think the only reason she would not like you is that if you stopped being yourself and tried to be someone that you're clearly not. And as for her coming over here, don't worry about it too much. I would give her just a small heads up that while we can be pretty chilled; we are more than capable of getting pretty wild. Just like any other large family. But back to tonight, remember to be yourself and to have fun. And if you're feeling certain things, do not hesitate to call me understood?"

Lincoln looked at Lori with big eyes, "How did I get so lucky to have an awesome big sister like you?" he asks in a soft undertone to no one in particular.

Lori giggled and said to her dear brother, "Because I have such an amazing brother and wonderful sisters to take care of. Where do you think I learned all of this? You guys teach me just as much, if not more then I teach you. Heck, you should know better than most." Lincoln was deeply touched by Lori's words.

_**KNOCK-KNOCK**_

"Lincoln, sweetie. Can you come up here? Your father and I need to talk to you." Rita called out.

Lincoln and Lori looked at each other. "Guess I should go see what's up." The snow hair child admitted. "Do you want me to come with?"Lori asks. Lincoln nodded. Then the two got up and out of their blanket fort to go see what their parents wanted.

As the siblings made it to the living room, Rita and Lynn Sr ushered them to the couch. "Am I in trouble?" Lincoln asked. "Oh no-no-no sweetie, nothing like that." Rita assured her son. Then Lynn Sr joined in, "We were wondering if anything interesting happened at school today."

The snow haired child let out a sigh; he knew that it was better to tell the truth.

So Lincoln spent the next few minutes explaining how he and Kat met, then how she gave him a comic book, and then about being art project partners. Although, he left out the certain things that he vented to Lori because he felt immensely better after talking to his big sister about it anyway.

The parents then looked at each other and smiled, much to the confusion of Lincoln and Lori.

"Well, that would explain the phone call we received from a Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum confirming Lincoln's dinner and sleepover invite and saying that their chauffer will pick him up soon." Lynn Sr chuckled. The eldest sister and the snow haired child's jaws dropped to the floor at the revelation.

After a moment of regaining composure, Lincoln had to wonder. "So, can I go?" he asked the dreaded question. Lori then looked over to the parents who took a moment as they gave Lincoln thoughtful looks and after a few moments of mulling it over, they gave him an answer.

"Yes sweetie, you can go" Rita answered.

Lincoln's eyes nearly bulged out in happiness. And then he leaped out from the couch and did a striking pose, as if he got a large amount of experience points. And then Lincoln ran over to the parents and hugged them and saying "thank you" over and over. Lori couldn't help but be happy for her little brother.

'_You deserve this Linky'_ she thought to herself.

* * *

**(Meanwhile…)**

* * *

**(Earlier)**  
**(Scene change)  
(Location: Kat's house)**

"And that's the whole story. I know its short notice, but is it okay that Lincoln comes over? I swear it's for our school project." Kat finished telling everything to her parents and dang-near begging for them to say yes.

Their silence was thickening.

Kat grew more and more nervous by the second. She knew that this was a lot to ask for on such short notice. Especially for a BOY. The only thing making a sound is the ticking of an antique clock.

"Sweetie, could you give your father and I a moment alone to think about it?" Mrs. Ketchum asked.

Kat gulped in fear, but complied to her mother's request. She decided to head to the kitchen and see if there was anything to snack on while she waited of their verdict. _'Please please, let them say yes'_ the blue haired lass thought to herself as she was eating a juicy red apple.

10 minutes later, she heard her mother call her back into the living room.

Kat came back into the room to find both of her parents still spotting neutral look their faces. But then their faces grew smiles, which made her feel slightly more hopeful. "So…what's the verdict?" Kat asked.

"Yes, Lincoln can come over" Mrs. Ketchum answered. "But under a few conditions" Mr. Ketchum added.

Kat kind of expected that. She didn't mind though, she was just happy that she didn't hear a "no". Then her father began listing off "First off, you two are allowed to discuss and work on your project in the living room and only the living room. Secondly, Lincoln is to sleep in the guest room. Thirdly, try not to stay up passed 10:00. And lastly, have fun." Kat was more than okay with her father's wishes.

And in an instant, Kat hugged her parents and saying "thank you" repeatedly. "Which reminds me, I should look up their number so I can confirm Lincoln's invite" her father spoke. "Should I prepare the guest room?" Kat offered. "No no, we'll have Jameson take care of that" her mother answered.

* * *

**(Now…)**

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: the Loud house)**

After getting the okay from his parents, Lincoln wasted no time going back to his room to pack.

He packed all the essentials; his pjs, toothbrush and toothpaste, a couple of comic books to share with Kat, a spare pair of underwear, deodorant, cell phone and its charger and most importantly, his iPod in his pocket and its charger in his baggage. At the very least, he thought he could share his musical tastes with his partner.

"So how are you feeling now little brother?" Lori asks him.  
"Pretty good actually" Lincoln answered, "although I'm not sure how I feel being picked up by a chauffeur."

"But you have to admit, it was a nice gesture on their end" Lori reminded. "Yeah, it is" Lincoln replied. "Did you pack everything?" Lori asks. Lincoln looks over his suitcase and scanned everything. "Yep" the snow haired child answered. As he closed his case he grabs it off his bed and headed upstairs with Lori following him. "In case if I haven't said it enough, I hope you have fun" she tells him.

Lincoln smiles, "Thanks Lori."

As the siblings reached the top of the stairs, they enter the kitchen and end up finding Lynn chugging down a bottle of Gatorade and Luna washing a few dirty dishes. The sporty sister notices Lincoln's presence. "Hey Lincster" she calls out to him. "Hey Lynn, did you get back from a jog?" Lincoln asks. Lynn nods, "Managed to beat my last time record no less" she admitted. "That's cool." Lincoln spoke.

Luna looks behind her shoulder and sees Lynn and Lincoln talking, she then tenses up. "Hi Lincoln!" she calls out to him. "Hey Luna" he replies back to her with a smile.

Luna felt happy; she was able to talk to Lincoln without fearing Lori was right behind her. And then she noticed that Lincoln was carrying his suitcase. This peaked the musician's interest. "You going somewhere bro?" she asks the snow haired child. "Actually yeah" Lincoln answers, "I'm heading over to a friend's house for dinner and a sleepover tonight." This revelation made Luna nearly drop a dish and Lynn choke on her drink. _'Lincoln…made…a…FRIEND?!'_ the two sisters collectively thought.

It was in that moment; Lincoln realizes that he just dropped a bomb of information. _'Aw crap…'_ he thought to himself. The musician and athlete got uncomfortably close for Lincoln's comfort level and began to bombard him with questions. "How did this happen?!" "When did you two meet?!" "You're already having sleepovers?!" "Is it a boy or a girl?!" All of this was making Lincoln feel quite uncomfortable and then Lori steps in.

She clears her throat to get Luna and Lynn's attention.

This makes the musician and athlete stop cold and looking right behind them to find the eldest sister looking at them intensely with her arms crossed while tapping her foot. "Is there a reason that you to are making Lincoln shake like a leaf?" she asks them coolly. The two sisters in question turned back to Lincoln and see that Lori was right. And just like that, the guilt set in fairly quickly.

The musician and athlete straighten themselves out and turned back to their brother and apologized for getting nuts with the questions. "That's better" Lori commented. "Lincoln, go to the living room and wait for me there. The three of us need to talk" she tells the snow haired child.

The boy in question wasted no time doing what he was told. This left Lori, Luna and Lynn alone in the kitchen.

Lori began. "Now then, I understand that you two were simply expressing your excitement for Lincoln. I felt the same way when he told me. But you both have got to remember the concept personal space in these kinds of situations. You almost gave him a panic attack bombarding him like that. All I'm saying is that you can be happy for him, just try to be more subtle about it. Understood?" Luna and Lynn nod as their answer.

"Good. Now if you excuse me, I need to check on Lincoln." With that, Lori left and leaving Luna and Lynn alone. "I think that went pretty well" Lynn commented. Luna couldn't help but agree.

Meanwhile, Lori and Lincoln were on the couch talking.

"Thanks for the save back there" Lincoln spoke. "Think nothing of it little brother; I couldn't just stand there watching you getting pounced like fresh meat to two very hungry lionesses." Lori told him.

"Do you think they'll tell the others?" Lincoln asks, "Hard to say" Lori admitted.

_**HONK-HONK!**_

Lincoln and Lori hear a car horn outside. "Sounds like my ride's here" the snow haired child thought out loud. "You want me to walk you out?" Lori offers. Lincoln smiles, "I'd like that.

"Mom, dad my ride's here. I'll see you all tomorrow I love you all!" Lincoln calls out to everyone as he and Lori slip out the backdoor in the kitchen. As they were walking, they felt the ground beneath them shake. "Just keep walking" Lori instructed. They reached to the front yard and found a fancy black car sitting on the street.

The driver's window rolls down to reveal Kirby. "Right on schedule Mr. Loud" he commented. Lincoln then looks to Lori one last time. "Remember if you need anything, do not hesitate to call me" she reminded him. "I will" he told her. Lori gives Lincoln a quick kiss on the cheek and also reminded him to have fun.

And then she quickly ran back inside to help her parents handle the other sisters.

Lincoln opened the backseat door and got inside and placed his suitcase right next to him as he buckles himself. "All good young man?" Kirby asked Lincoln then nods as his answer. "Alright then next stop, Ketchum manor" the capped driver announced. And with that, the fancy car drove off.

* * *

After a few minutes of driving, Lincoln decided to start a conversation. "Uh. If you don't mind me asking sir, how long have you been a driver for the Ketchums?" Kirby was caught by surprise of Lincoln talking to him. "Well, I'd say for at least 10 to 12 years. Although it feels more like I've known them my whole life" he joked.

Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle as well.

"Mind if I asked you as question?" Kirby asked the snow haired child, he told him to go ahead. "What's with the earphones?" Lincoln gulped. Kirby noticed this, "Sorry if that came out ruder than I meant to" he added. "It's okay" Lincoln told him, "Long story short, listening to music helps drown out the ringing in my ears. I had an accident when I was younger." The driver couldn't help but pity the kid. _'Geez, I remember when my grandpa began to lose his hearing. But to happen to someone who's that young.'_ "It's not all that bad sir" Lincoln spoke up, snapping Kirby back into reality. "At least I now have a strong sense of what legitimately good music sounds like" the snow haired child jokes. Kirby had to give credit; he has a good sense of humor.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: Kat's house)**

After driving for some time across town, Kirby and Lincoln pull up to the driveway. As the capped driver put the car in "park" and turned off the engine, he then told the "guest" in the backseat that they have arrived.

He looked behind him and saw that Lincoln was slightly sleeping.

Kirby nudged the snow haired child on the shoulder to wake him up. Lincoln's eyes began to sir. "I'm up, I'm up" he said out loud. And then he let out a long yawn and stretched his arms. "Sorry" Lincoln said very sheepishly, "I have a tendency to sleep during long car rides." Kirby laughed.

"Think nothing of it, happens to me all the time when I'm not the one driving" he admitted.

And then Lincoln exited out of the car, with his suitcase in toll. "Follow me" Kirby instructed the snow haired child. As he followed closely to the driver, he began to look around. Everything around him looked so beautiful and expensive. He felt so out of place. _"Be yourself and have fun"_ he heard Lori's voice in his mind.

Lincoln then took in a deep breath, _'She's right'_ he thought to himself.

As the pair made it to the kitchen, they ran into the housekeeper Jameson. Who then told Kirby that he was instructed to take Lincoln the rest of the way. The capped drive nodded in understanding. Then Jameson asked for Lincoln to follow him while Kirby went about his own business.

As Lincoln followed closely behind the housekeeper, the snow haired child noticed a lot of beautiful paintings on the hallway walls. _'I wonder if that's why Kat took up art class'_ he thought. Finally, Lincoln reached the living room and there was Kat pacing back 'n' forth and her parents sitting on the sofa.

"Miss Ketchum, your guest has arrived" Jameson announced.

In that moment, young Kathrine stopped dead in her tracks. She looks up and sees Lincoln looking at her with a smile and waved to her. Kat tried to keep a calm and friendly composure, she casually walks up to the snow haired child and then…her next move can only be described as an "attack hug".

Lincoln was surprised to say the least at Kat's hug, but was not opposed to it in the slightest. Not wanting to make it awkward, the snow haired child hugged back. _'Lori was right, I was worrying over nothing'_ Lincoln thought. "I'm really glad you came" Kat spoke as she let go of Lincoln. "Me too" Lincoln replied. Then Kat heard her father clear his throat to get the kids attention. Kat then takes Lincoln's hand and then they walked over to where her parents were. "Mom dad, this is Lincoln. Lincoln these are my parents" Kat introduced.

Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum then got up to look at Lincoln for themselves.

Lincoln could feel his nervousness creep up again. That is, until Mrs. Ketchum gave him a bear hug of her own. The snow haired child felt like his face was completely flushed as he was once again caught off guard. "Mom!" Kat called out her, feeling completely embarrassed. It didn't stop there though, "Oh I am just so happy to finally meet you!" Mrs. Ketchum told Lincoln, "When my daughter first told me about you I was so overjoyed that she finally made a friend!" Kat, at this point was completely red in the face from embarrassment.

Fortunately, Kat's saving grace came in the form of Jameson.

"Chef Louie as told me to tell you that dinner is ready" he announced. And then in that moment, Lincoln's stomach growled like a hungry lion. His cheeks grew pink in embarrassment. Kat herself couldn't help but giggle. "I think we should all head to the kitchen" Mr. Ketchum spoke for the first time since Lincoln's arrival.

* * *

**(Dinner…)**

For this special occasion, chef Louie prepared one of Kat's favorite dishes: Macaroni & Cheese Casserole. As Lincoln ate it, he understood why this one of her favorites. It also helped that he was a cheese fan himself.

The snow haired child also watched how Kat and her parents talked to each other about their day. He smiled, it reminded him of how he and his family acted at the dinner table. "Where are my manners? Lincoln, why don't you tell us about yourself?" Mr. Ketchum asked as Lincoln snapped back into reality.

He gulped down the bit casserole he was eating as to not talk with his mouth full of food. "Well, there's not really much to say. I'm in the same class as your daughter and we're currently working together for a school project" he admitted. "What about your family?" Mrs. Ketchum asked, since she was curious about his sisters.

"Well for starters there are my parents, Rita and Lynn Sr. my mom is aspiring to be a novelist and my dad runs his own restaurant downtown. And then there are my sisters. 5 older and 5 younger. My older sisters are Lori who's 17, Leni who's 16, Luna who's 15, Luan who's 14 and Lynn who's 13. My younger sisters are Lucy who's 8, Lana and Lola who's 6, Lisa who is 4 and Lily who's 15 months. The best way to describe living with 10 sisters is controlled chaos." Lincoln continues, "Lori is considered the leader. Without her organizing all of us, we would never get anything done. Leni's not exactly the brightest…but she has a heart of gold and an incredible fashion designer in her own right. Luna is the musician that loves to crank it up to 11. Luan is the resident comedian that loves to make all of us laugh. Lynn is what I like to call the all-American athlete. Lucy I like to call her my special little vampire. Lana may be young, but she's the resident handywoman and mechanic. Lola competes in beauty pageants. Lisa for being so young is the super genius of the family. And little Lily is just the most adorable baby in the wide world."

As Lincoln talked about his family, Kat's parents were completely mesmerized by hearing about his sisters and the sheet amount of them. And at the same time, they couldn't help but feel jealous that Rita and Lynn Sr. were blessed with children 11 times. But they wouldn't trade their Kat for anything.

"If you don't mind me asking Lincoln, why do you have earbuds in your ears?" Mr. Ketchum asks.

Kat winced, as she heard it before. Lincoln froze, but knew that question was inevitable. "Well sir" the snow haired child began, "it's because I have Tinnitus. I had an accident when I was 7 and it caused me to have a constant ring in my ears and listing to music helps me drown it out but I keep it at a level low enough that I can still listen and talk to people." Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum were shocked to stay least after hearing that.

Kat sensed the awkward tension.

"So Lincoln and I decided that the theme of our project would be family" she proclaimed in an attempt to break the metaphorical ice. "That's right" Lincoln said to agree with the blue haired lass. Kat then continued, "That's why I invited Lincoln over here tonight, so he could see us in our home and why I'm invited to his house tomorrow to see his home life." The parents could see their daughter's logic.

So the rest of dinnertime was spent just talking. Lincoln talked about how Lori, Luna and Lynn reacted to hearing about his friendship with Kat. "It's was a miracle that Lori came in and got them to back down. I love my sisters, but sometimes they can be a little much" he commented while chuckling.

* * *

**(Afterwards…)**

"And this is my room" Kat told Lincoln as she opened the door.

The snow haired child gazed in wonder at his surroundings. Kat's room was very spacious, even bigger than Lori and Leni's room. There was a huge bookshelf with tons of comic books, mangas, graphic novels, and oddly enough history books. A dresser with a stereo on top of it. A small walk-in closet that leads to a bathroom. A big flat screen mounted on her wall. A fairly large round canopy style bed. And a nice little side table that has a tablet on top. _'Dang…'_ Lincoln thought to himself. "This is a really cool set up you got here" he said to Kat. The blue haired lass smiled, "Thanks. I finished remodeling last month" she commented.

Lincoln then focused on the bookshelf with all the comics. "Is it okay if look at these?" he asks his hostess. "Of course, help yourself" Kat tells him. Lincoln saw that she really did have every issue of Ace Savvy: Beyond. Then he saw some stuff he hadn't heard of before. "You sure have some really cool titles here" Lincoln comments. Kat laughed, "Well I did say that I like a lot different kinds" she reminded him.

Then the blue haired lass remembers something.

"Hey Lincoln" she calls to him. "I think we should go back downstairs to discuss our project. It's kind of part of the agreement I made with my dad" she admitted. Lincoln understood. After all, he knew that his dad would make the same kind of condition if one of his sisters brought home a boy like that.

So after making their way back down to the family room the kids made themselves comfortable on the sofa to discuss their school project. Kat also brought down with her a legal pad and some pencils to take notes.

"Okay" Kat started, "first order of business I think should be is to take the time to learn more about each other. I know we got to talk at the Burpin' Burger, but this time we can be more in depth." "Sounds fair to me" Lincoln commented. "Great, let's begin." She grabbed the pad and pencils from the coffee table.

"My first question for you is, what's your favorite genre of music?" Kat asks. Lincoln had to ponder on that one. "If I had to pick only one, I'd have to say Alternative is my favorite" Lincoln answers, and Kat writes that down. "Do you have a favorite genre?" Lincoln asks back. "Classic Rock" she answers in a heartbeat, "I like a lot of the older music" she admits, "next question: when's your birthday?" "May 2" Lincoln answers. Kat was taken aback by his answer. "No way, that's my birthday too!" she admits. "Woah, small world" Lincoln comments. "I have a question. Aside from Ace Savvy: Beyond, is there any other series you like?" Kat had to ponder on that one. "Well, I'd have to say that I really enjoy the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels. I like how it infuses real life with video games." Lincoln remembered seeing 6 books on her shelf with that name.

This gave Lincoln a thought.

"Do you play? Video games that is" Lincoln asks. Kat in return, gave the snow haired child a Cheshire Cat-like smile. She walked over to the entertainment center and opened the cabinets to reveal an original NES, Super Nintendo and even a Playstation 1. Lincoln's jaw dropped to the ground. _'Where have you been all my life?'_ he thought to himself. "How about we take a break? I must warn you though, I play a real mean game of Super Mario Bros. 3" she admitted. Lincoln grinned. "Game on little lady, game on"

* * *

**(Bedtime…)**

After playing Mario 3, Crash Bandicoot, Mario Kart, Tetris and Mega Man 2 Kat's parents came in and informed the kids it was time for bed. That was okay with them.

After turning off the consoles and the TV, Kat showed Lincoln the guest room that he would be staying in. It was slightly smaller than Kat's, but it was still rather lavishing and had its own bathroom. "Since your room's next mine, I'll be able to hear you in case if you need anything" the blue haired lass tells Lincoln. "This is really nice room" Lincoln comments. "Thanks, we like to always make guests feel as comfortable as possible."

And then Kat leaves to do her bedtime routine.

Lincoln does the same. He needs to tinkle one last time, quickly brushes his teeth and then puts on his pajamas. As he climbs into in the incredibly soft bed, he takes off his earbuds. He feels like there's something missing. _'She said don't hesitate'_ he thought. Lincoln then pulled out his phone and called Lori.

He hears the phone ringing. And then, _**"Lincoln? Is everything all right?!"**_ a frantic Lori asks. Lincoln had to chuckle at his sister's over protectiveness. "I'm fine Lori, I just called to say goodnight. It didn't feel right not to" the snow haired child admits to his big sister. _**"Aww Linc, you're so sweet"**_ Lori cooed.

Lincoln couldn't help but blush at Lori's remark.

"_**I know it's late, but do you want to talk about it?"**_ she asks. "I got time" Lincoln answers, "For starters, Kat's parents are really cool. Her mom runs a publishing company and her dad runs a big law firm. Kat's got a bigger comic book collection than I do and she's just as much of a gamer as I am, maybe even more." Lori laughed at the thought of someone being a bigger gamer than her little brother.

"_**Well, it sounds like you had a blast"**_ she comments. "Yeah" Lincoln admits, "thanks for encouraging me to come here. It was so much fun. I hope that Kat has just as much of a good time at our house tomorrow." _**"I think she will. This reminds me, you don't have to worry about the others. Mom, dad and I talked to them and they promised that they'd be on their best behavior for when your friend comes over."**_

"I appreciate that. But remind them that they shouldn't be overly nice. I think Kat knows when someone's being insincere" Lincoln tells her. _**"I'll be sure to remind them"**_ Lori replies. "Lori, do you believe in destiny?" Lincoln asks. _**"Sometimes, why?"**_ she asks back. "This might sound crazy, but I think that Kat and I were meant to be friends. We both like comic books and video games, we have the same classes, heck we even share the same birthday!" he admits to her. _**"Woah, maybe you're on to something there little brother"**_ Lori admits. "You know for a long time I've always wanted a friend. And don't get me wrong, I like hanging out with all of you it's just-" _**"That you want to hang out with someone your own age and share the same interests. Believe me Linc, I get that"**_ Lori says cutting off Lincoln.

Just then, Lincoln lets out a big yawn. _**"Aw, sounds like someone's all tuckered out"**_ Lori commented.

"You're not wrong there" the snow haired child admitted, "I think I might need to go to sleep now." Lori chuckled, _**"Okay then, get some sleep little bro. We'll see you two tomorrow."**_ "Goodnight Lori, I love you." _**"I love you too Lincoln, I am so proud of you. Goodnight."**_ With that, she hung up.

Lincoln then put his phone and iPod on a charger so it could get juiced up for tomorrow. And then he turned off the lamp next to him and got all snuggled into the blanket. He then began to close his eyes and slowly drifted off to dreamland. _'I really hope Kat likes my house and family as much as I like hers'_ he thought.

* * *

**(Next time…)**  
"Can You Picture That?"

* * *

**Lincoln's playlist:**

"How Do You" by Radiohead  
"If I Had $1,000,000" by Barenaked Ladies  
"Help!" by The Beatles  
"When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" by Sam & Dave  
"Meet the MacGuffs" by Mateo Messina

* * *

**AN: I hope you all enjoyed this latest installment, this chapter was a real labor of love. And just a heads up, Lori and Lincoln in this story will more or less have the kind of close bond that so many people believe Lincoln and Luna have.**


	5. Can You Picture That?

***Disclaimer* I do not own The Loud House**

* * *

**AN: The fact that this was finished in under of a month is nothing short of a miracle.**

* * *

**(The next day…)  
(Location: Kat's house)**

* * *

**(Kat)**

"_**Wouldn't it be nice if we were older? Then we wouldn't have to wait so long…"**_

The sounds of The Beach Boys playing on the blue haired lass' radio fill her room in surround sound as she yawns and stretches her arms and gets up from her bed. Smacking her lips and sporting the cutest form of bed head, young Kathrine walks to her bathroom to take a shower. A few minutes later she comes out nice and clean. Then she gets dressed for the day. Afterwards, she grabbed a large old carpetbag that her grandmother gave her before she passed. Much like Lincoln, Kat packed all the essentials.

Her pjs, toothbrush and toothpaste, a spare pair of undergarments, the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels to share with Lincoln and lastly her cell phone charger. After doing a checklist in her head, she then grabbed her regular bag and the proceeded to head downstairs for breakfast.

* * *

**(Lincoln)**

"_**Here comes the sun. Here come the sun and I say, it's alright…"**_

Lincoln blinked twice as he remembered he set an alarm on his phone. And then he remembered where he was. _'Right…'_ he thought to himself. As he turned off the alarm on his phone, he then decided to start his morning routine. First, he steps into the guest bathroom and took a quick shower and then quickly brushed his teeth and decided put on a little deodorant for etiquette. He then walked over to where he left is suitcase and proceeded to get dressed for the day. Afterwards, he grabbed his chargers and placed it back into his luggage and placed his iPod in a special pocket while putting his phone in his pants pocket and proceeded to walk downstairs to meet Kat and her folks for breakfast.

* * *

As the two children left their respective rooms, they met up in the hallway.

"Morning Lincoln, how did you sleep?" Kat asks, "Oh I slept fine. That bed was really comfortable" Lincoln answers. Then the snow haired child notices the blue haired lass carrying two bags. "I take it one of those bags is your overnight bag for tonight?" He asks back. Kat then nods as her answer. "I hope you don't mind, but I was hoping that I could come to your house straight after school" she says. "I think my parents would be okay with that" Lincoln replies, "besides I know my sisters are dying to meet you by now."

Kat then felt her heat skip a beat at Lincoln's words.

As the children walked into the kitchen, Kat noticed a note on the refrigerator. She grabs it and reads it.

**Sweetie, we're so sorry that we couldn't be here for breakfast. You're father was called to come in earlier for preparations of an upcoming case. And I was called in on meeting with a potential new author. Tell Lincoln that he's always welcomed here anytime. And I am so proud you.  
Love, Mom**

'_Somehow, I'm not at all surprised'_ Kat thought to herself. Lincoln was confused; she looks over to the snow haired child. "My parents already left for work" she explains, "looks like we're on our own for breakfast."

Just then, chef Louie seemingly popped out of nowhere with a platter of Crepes Suzette. The smell alone made Kat drool in anticipation. Lincoln on the other hand, looked perplexed. _'I can't remember a time where I didn't see mom and dad in the morning'_ he thought to himself. Neither the less, the snow haired child's stomach growled at the sight of the food on the table. He figured eat now and ask questions later.

As the children ate the delicious breakfast, Lincoln couldn't help but wonder. "Hey Kat" he speaks to get her attention. The girl in question looks up with a mouth full of food in her mouth; she gulps it down "Yeah" she speaks back. "Do your parents do that often?" Lincoln asks. Kat unfortunately knew what he meant. "Not all the time" she admits, "they try their best. But when one has a profile career like theirs, sometimes there will be sacrifices. But I'm fine with it, I know they love me. And I know they want to be with me if they had the option." Lincoln was caught way off guard by Kat's explanation. Even in a large family like his, they always had breakfast and dinner together. _'I couldn't even imagine…'_ he thought to himself.

* * *

After finishing breakfast, Lincoln had to pry Kat away from the table so they wouldn't be late for school.

"Hey, do you mind if I call my sister really quick?" the snow haired child asks. "Go right ahead" she answers, "I'm going to find Kirby so he can give us a ride." With that, the blue haired lass took off. Lincoln then took out his phone to call Lori. He hears the phone ringing. And then, _**"Hey Linc, what's up?"**_ he hears Lori's voice. "I wanted to call and say hi" he admits. _**"Aw, you're the sweetest."**_ Lincoln blushes again from Lori's complement. "Anyway, I also called to tell you that I'm getting a ride from Kat." _**"That's nice of her."**_ "Yeah, it is. And also, she also wants to come straight to the house right after school if that's okay with you." "Of course that's okay. I've been dying to meet her, and I know everyone else wants to meet her too." "Awesome. So Kat and I will see you after school then." _**"Indeed you will little brother."**_ Just then, Lincoln heard a car sound.

"I think that's my ride." _**"Okay, I won't hold you up any longer. I'll see you after school Linc."**_ "Okay Lori, I love you." _**"Love you too Linc, bye."**_ With that, she hung up. The snow haired child put his phone back into his pocket just as Kirby pulled up. The backseat window rolled down to reveal Kat.

"Come on Lincoln! The sooner we get to school, the sooner we get to your house and I dominate your game consoles!" she calls out to him. Lincoln smirks, _'Not even on your best day'_ he thought.

* * *

**(Timeskip…)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: Mrs. Johnson's classroom)**

After getting a ride, the kids made it to school with time to spare.

As they walked to their homeroom, they were discussing plans. "So my sister's okay with you riding with us. Just know that my younger sisters will be in the van as well" Lincoln explains. "That's a-okay with me. I'm really looking forward to meeting them." Kat spoke. The snow haired child could sense that from a mile away.

But he wasn't complaining. In the past, when Lincoln talked about how many sisters he had the person turned the other way and ran away scared. Not Kat. She wanted to meet them, to actually get to know them.

And that made Lincoln feel good inside.

_**BBBRRRIIINNNGGG**_

As the final bell rang, their teacher Mrs. Johnson walked in. "Good morning students" she announces.  
"To be continued at lunch" Lincoln whispers. Kat nods in agreement.

* * *

During math, Mrs. Johnson gave the class a surprise pop quiz.

As Lincoln wrote how he did his answers, he couldn't help but tune in on a conversation between his classmates. "What did you put down for the 4th question?" A curly redheaded kid with a face covered in freckles quietly asked an African-American boy with glasses that sat behind him. "6 x 12 = 72" he quietly answered back. "72? I put down green!" the ginger quietly groaned. "Green?! Why did you put down green?" the African-American boy asked in astonishment. "I thought it was a trick question" the redheaded boy asked.

Lincoln couldn't help but shake his head at those two.

* * *

For science class, Lincoln couldn't help but feel bad for Kat.

The blue haired lass got stuck with a really geeky redheaded boy with glasses and a big nose as her chemistry partner who pretty much just sat there and ogled her very creepy like. That didn't sit too well with the snow haired child. But things got worse when the guy leaned in too far and accidently turned on a bunsen burner.

And that set Kat's left sleeve on fire.

After Mrs. Johnson put out the fire with a mini extinguisher, she had to restrain the justifiably angry blue haired lass due to almost choking out her partner. "Let go of me! That doofus deserves to get clobbered!" she shouts out while the speckled red haired boy cowered underneath the table in complete fear. It was times like these that Lincoln appreciated the fact that Leni gave him lessons in sewing by hand. He managed to fix Kat's sleeve without a hitch. The lass was eternally grateful for the snow haired child fixing her sleeve.

* * *

Kat considered history to be one of her personal favorite subjects.

She really liked learning about how people lived in certain time periods. The dark ages, colonial times, the old west, you get the point. But it's not like she's totally stuck in the past. She's also a believer in the famous old saying, "Those who don't learn from history, are doomed to repeat it." She considered it a philosophy.

* * *

For gym, Coach Pacowski gave the class two options. Dodgeball or run though the very dangerous obstacle course made by the teacher himself. It truly was a no brainer. Some of the students think that the coach does that on purpose to make playing dodgeball seem like a picnic. Whatever the case may be, all the students would rather chuck red rubber balls at each other than to run a course with spikes and barbed wire.

* * *

Now it was finally lunchtime.

The time where students get to take a beat and eat some food. For Lincoln and Kat, those two were outside sitting at the same picnic table they were at the day they became friends. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched from above. In a tree were Lucy, Lana, Lola and Lisa trying to listen in on what they were saying. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lana whispered. "Aren't you curious about Lincoln's new friend?" Lola whispers back. "Hush you two; I'm trying to pick up their voices." Lisa whispered as she tried to listen in on Lincoln and Kat using some special equipment she personally made from scratch.

Lucy on the other hand, stayed silent. Like Lola, she was curious about Lincoln's friend and wanted to know more about her. But she agrees with Lana that spying on them like this is a tad on the extreme side.

* * *

Lincoln considered Spanish to be one of his favorite subjects.

He always wanted to learn a second language. Some people say that French is the language of love. In Lincoln's opinion, those people are wrong. Though the snow haired child does believe the class would get a lot more done if the class had more students that came to learn instead of ogling the teacher.

* * *

During art class, Lincoln and Kat worked together on how they want to design their project.

At first, they wanted to paint on two separate canvases but then decided against it since they didn't know if they could have more than one per group. Another idea was using something like clay, but that was rejected too because that would take up too much time and they were afraid it wouldn't make the deadline. After a few more bad ideas, they did eventually think of the perfect game plan.

But as the author, I want to keep it a surprise.

* * *

**(After school…)**

_**BBBRRRIIINNNGGG**_

As Lincoln closed his locker after grabbing his bags, he turned around to find 5 little girls looking at him with big eyes and huge smiles. The snow haired child wasn't surprised in the slightest. "I know why you're here" he tells them. "What ever do you mean big brother?" Lola asks in an attempt to cover their reasons.

Lincoln didn't buy that for a second.

Lola sighs in defeat. "Okay, you got us. We just wanted to meet her in person" she admits. "Well then, you don't have to look far." Kat speaks surprising all the little sisters. "It's nice to finally meet some of you. Lincoln has talked about you." The sisters were gobsmacked. Kat then tilted her head in confusion.

"Are they okay?" she asks the snow haired child.

"I think so" he admits, "But this is the first time I've ever seen someone else make them speechless."

Then Lincoln got a little ol' idea. He opened his locker to take out what appeared to be chocolate bar. As he unwrapped it in front of the girls, that causes the little sisters to snap 'em out of their stupor.

"Works every time" Lincoln says. Then he broke the bar into pieces to share with the girls. And that made them really happy. Kat watched in awe at Lincoln handling his little sisters. _'It must be nice, to be someone that someone else can look up to…'_ she thought sadly. "Kat" Lincoln calls her; that made her snap out of her self-made pity party. "Yeah?" she speaks back. "You okay? For a second there I thought I had to wave a candy bar in face" Lincoln joked. "I'm fine" Kat tells him. "You really know your sisters huh?"

"I try my best" Lincoln vaguely answers.

* * *

As Lincoln, Kat and the younger Loud sisters walk out together to meet up with Lori; the little ones wasted no time asking questions. "When did you two exactly meet?" "How did your sleepover last night?" "Is that shade of blue your natural hair color?" Then Lincoln whistles to get them to simmer down.

"I get that you're all excited and have questions, but please try to do it in an orderly fashion and when we are home" Lincoln instructs. The sisters reluctantly agree. Just then Lori pulls up in front of the school.

The eldest sister rolls down the window, "All aboard for Casa da Loud!" she calls out.

As the kids get into the van, Lori requested that Kat sit up front with her. The younger sisters voiced their complaints, but then Lori shot them a look that got them to clam up. Kat didn't mind, in fact she was interested in getting to know the eldest sister anyway. She climbed in the front while Lincoln and Lucy took a row in the back and Lana, Lola and Lisa took another row. "Everyone situated?" Lori asks. "Yes" the kids say in unison. "Alright then, off we go." Lori then put the van in drive and took off for home.

* * *

**(Timeskip…)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: the Loud house)**

After a relatively quiet ride home, Lori pulls up to the driveway.

Just as everyone gets out of the van, another van pulls up and Luna comes out carrying a guitar case. Then Leni gets dropped off by her friend Fiona. Luan arrives on her unicycle. And Lynn gets dropped off by her friend Margo's mom. _'Looks like everyone's home'_ the snow haired child thought to himself.

Kat on the other hand, was looking at the older sisters in awe.  
_'Lincoln's descriptions were dead on'_ she thought to herself.

It was then that the older Loud sisters notice someone new in the group. Lincoln and Lori caught on quick. Just before anyone could do anything, Lori ordered everyone to the family room.

Not wanting to disobey a direct order, everyone complied.

* * *

The sisters minus Lori took over the couch and easy chair while Lincoln and Kat had the floor.

Lincoln gave an opening statement. "So, I know some of you have been waiting very patiently to meet her and I appreciate that. So without further ado. Everyone, this is Kat. Kat, these are my sisters." The blue haired lass in question waved to all of them with a somewhat awkward smile.

Lincoln then continued, "If anyone has any questions for Kat please raise your hand one at a time and she'll answer." Leni raised her hand first, "Like, who did the fix on your sleeve?" she asks. The blue haired lass looked at her arm. "Oh, Lincoln fixed it up after some doofus lit up a bunsen burner during science class." The girls cringed at the thought of having their arm getting set on fire. But Leni was happy that giving Lincoln lessons paid off. Lisa went next, "Is that shade of blue your natural hair color?" "Yes it is it comes from my dad." Lola raises her hand, "What are your parents like?" "Well, my dad runs a law firm and my mom owns a publishing company." All the girls minus Lori whistled in admiration at hearing what her parents did for a living. Lucy went next, "Is it hard for them to keep a balance of working and spending time with you?" Kat silently cringed at that question because it is a slight sore subject. "They try their best. After all, they're only human" she answers. Lynn raises her hand, "Do you play any sports?" "I play a little tennis now and then."

Luan goes next, "Do you have any siblings?" "No." Luna raised her hand, "What's it like being an only child?" Kat froze up a little bit. "Sometimes I do wish I had a little brother a sister, it does get a little lonely."

Then Lana raises her hand, "Do you have any pets?"  
"No, but I wouldn't mind getting a dog or a cat."

And lastly Lori raised her hand, "What do you think of Lincoln?" she asks.

The other sisters looked at her in surprised at the boldness of the eldest sister's question. Even Lincoln was caught off guard. But Kat herself was prepared for this one. "The answer is quite simple; he's the kindest, most generous boy I've met in a long time. Since the day we met he has been nothing but a gentleman. Before I met Lincoln I didn't have any friends. Growing up it was hard for me to make friends because most kids saw me as a personal ATM machine. But not Lincoln, he's never asked anything from me. In fact, I'm pretty sure it wasn't until he slept over at my house last night that he learned just how rich my family actually is. But even then, he was still the same. My parents absolutely loved having him over and they say that he's always welcomed. But after meeting for the first time last weekend, I felt like I had to give him something as a token of friendship. And then I found it. He told me that he's a fan of the Ace Savvy: Beyond series. I am a fan of the series as well. On the day we met, we literally ran into each other at Savino's comics. But unfortunately, I unknowingly bought the last copy. So then I pulled a few strings to find Lincoln another copy and I did. So then I cave Lincoln the comic on the day we became art project partners, but I'll remember it as the day Lincoln and I became friends. And I hope that I get to build a relationship with all of you as well."

As Kat finished her story, all the sisters especially Lori were in tears.

"That…was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard!" Lori blubbered as she blew into a tissue. Even Lincoln shed a tear after hearing Kat thought so highly of him. Leni and Lola's tears of joy came from hearing about their brother's chivalry. Lucy and Lisa; who normally aren't very emotional, were blubbering just as bad as Lori. Luna, Luan, Lynn and Lana weren't any better. It became a cluster of feels.

"I couldn't agree more" a random voice sniffed.

Everyone turned their heads and saw Rita, Lynn Sr and Lily standing in the doorway. "How much did you hear?" Lincoln asks. "All of it" Rita answers. Kat then walk up to the Loud parents. "It's nice to meet you" she says and then turned to the youngest Loud sister. "And I especially happy to meet you. Lincoln was right; you are the cutest baby ever." She bops Lily on the nose and that made the baby giggle.

The other sisters and Lincoln looked at Kat in awe; Lily doesn't usually take to strangers that fast.  
_'Maybe Lily sees what I see'_ the snow haired child thought.

"Oh Lincoln" Lynn Sr calls out to his son, "Could you come over here for a sec?" Lincoln did what he was asked. "What's up pops?" he asks. "I know that you have company over, but I kind of need your help back at the restaurant. I need your help in redesigning the menu graphics. One ones I made are a little subpar, and you have better drawing skills…" "Say no more dad I'd be happy to help" Lincoln spoke.

Then the snow haired child turned back to his guest.

"Would you be okay if I went to help out my dad? I know we just got here…" "Lincoln if he needs help that's okay with me." Kat spoke, "besides this would be a perfect opportunity for me to get to know your sisters better." The sisters in question perked up at hearing the blue haired lass' declaration.

Lincoln smiled. "Awesome, I'll try to get back as soon as I can." With that, the snow haired child and the patriarch left. This left young Kathrine with his sisters and mother.

_**RRRIINNGGG-RRRIINNGGG**_

The matriarch perked up at the sound of the phone ringing in the kitchen. "Oooh that might be for me, I was expecting a call." Then she turned to her son's guest, "Would you mind holding Lily while I take the call? It shouldn't take that long" she asks. The other sisters silently snicker due to all the times it seemed like their mom was on the phone for hours. "No problem" the blue haired lass told her.

As Rita left to see who was calling, this left Kat alone with all of Lincoln's sisters. The lass silently gulped, but was not truly afraid. She wanted to get to know them. So this was the perfect opportunity. And like a true gamer, she thought of each sister as a level. Kind of like how Mega Man 2's menu works.

As the unofficial/self-proclaimed leader, Lori to charge of the situation.

"So" she spoke out to Kat to gain her attention. "Who would you like to start with?" she asks the blue haired lass. Kat had to think for a moment. As easy as would be to go in chronological order, she wanted a challenge. "Random" she tells the eldest sister, which caught her off guard.  
"I'm not particularly picky about whom to start with." This really threw the sisters for a loop.

But Luan came up with a really great idea and silently sneaked away from everyone.

While Luan was getting ready, the other sisters were arguing about deciding who went first. Lori argued that since she was the oldest, that she should be the one to go first. It kind of got ridiculous as the other sisters voiced their arguments. But Kat never flinched. She knew this would happen. She also did it as a test to see how they worked without their brother around.

_**POOF!**_

As the smokebomb cleared, Luan was revealed wearing a magician's top hat and completely wrapped around her cape. Kat was slightly surprised at her "entrance" but then noticed how the other sisters looked and then deducted that this was something that she has done before. _'I wonder what she's planning?'_ the blue haired lass thought. "Fear not dear sisters 'cause I, Luan the magnificent have the answer!"

Kat stared that the sisters in awe of how they went from almost at each other's throats, to cooperating.

Almost like a co-op game of River City Ransom.

Meanwhile, the sisters wrote their names on tiny slips of paper. Once finished, they handed the slips of paper to Luan who put all it into her hat. Then the magical comedian pulled out a magic wand. "For deciding which path our dear brother's guest goes on first." She then waves the wand around, "Al-luanbra-kadabra!" then she used her wand to tap her hat three times and then a puff of smoke rose out of the hat.

Then the comedian/magician pulled what appeared to be one of the slips of paper from her ear. She unfolded it, and it read "Leni". The fashionista jumped with joy at hearing she was picked first.

* * *

**(Level 1: Leni)**

Kat was completely mesmerized by Leni's sketchbooks, her sewing table and mannequins that showed off clothes she made herself. _'She really could be a famous designer someday'_ the lass thought to herself.

_**POOF!**_

Then Luan appears again through a smokebomb and does her magic trick again.  
This time, the name on the slip of paper read "Lola".

* * *

**(Level 2: Lola)**

It was times like these that Kat was happy that her grandfather gave her lessons in etiquette for tea parties. But even then, this 6 year old seemed to have more than she ever did and usually her guests are stuffed animals, her twin or even Lincoln himself. _'She does have good tastes in tea though'_ the lass thought.

_**POOF!**_

Then Luan appears again through a smokebomb and does her magic trick again.  
This time, the name on the slip of paper read "Luna".

* * *

**(Level 3: Luna)**

Kat was admiring Luna's purple acoustic guitar. The musician sensed this, and encouraged her to try to play. The blue haired lass decided to go for it. She strummed a few notes of **"I'm a Believer"** by **The Monkees **and Luna was imminently impressed. She asked if Kat had ever played before.

"I may have dabbled once or twice when I was younger" the lass admitted. Then Luna said if she wanted to get more lessons, all she needs to do is ask.

_**POOF!**_

Then Luan appears again through a smokebomb and does her magic trick again.  
This time, the name on the slip of paper read "Lucy".

* * *

**(Level 4: Lucy)**

With permission from Lynn, Lucy set up their bedroom as a gypsy tent, complete with the lights turned off and lit candles everywhere. She wanted to brush up on her fortune telling card reading, and Kat was willing. The blue haired lass pulled a card that had picture of three women holding cups. The gothic sister smiled.

"This card symbolizes celebration, friendship, creativity and collaborations" she tells Kat who in return smiles back. _'That kind of sounds like me and Lincoln right now'_ she thought to herself.

_**POOF!**_

Then Luan appears again through a smokebomb and does her magic trick again.  
This time, the name on the slip of paper read "Lori".

* * *

**(Level 5: Lori)**

The young lass sat at the dining room table while Lori came back from the kitchen with two classes of milk and a platter of chocolate chip cookies. Kat took a bite out of a cookie and then felt instant happiness. "Old Loud family recipe" The eldest admitted. "So, Lincoln kind of told me the basics over the phone, but why don't you tell me a little more about yourself." Kat finished her third cookie and sipped from her glass. "Well" she started; "like I said, I am only child and my parents are financially successful. The other people in the house are our live-in housekeeper Jameson, our live-in chef Louie and our chauffeur Kirby. And I like to read comics on all kinds of media. I do play video games. I also enjoy doing gymnastics at the YMCA. Every so often, I help my mom tend the garden in our backyard." Lori listened to every world while drinking her own milk.

_**POOF!**_

Then Luan appears again through a smokebomb and does her magic trick again. This time, the name on the slip of paper read "Lisa". And then she sneaked a cookie for herself.

* * *

**(Level 6: Lisa)**

Kat was impressed by the 4 year old's make-shift laboratory. As for Lisa herself, she decided to show Lincoln's guest this one physics trick she picked up last year. The blue haired lass watches in awe as the little genius watched very intensely at this cap that was sizzling at the bottom. A few seconds later, the cap shots up like a rocket. Kat was astonished at how she was able to make that happen.

_**POOF!**_

Then Luan appears again through a smokebomb and does her magic trick again. But not before getting hit in the forehead by Lisa's cap. This time, the name on the slip of paper read "Lynn".

* * *

**(Level 7: Lynn)**

One-one-basketball in Lynn's mind was the perfect way to test out Kat's reflexes.

And man was the family athlete surprised, the game actually ended up in a tie. "You got talent, have you considered joining a team?" Kat laughed, "As much fun as that was, I don't think I'm cut out for it" she admits. Lynn accepted and respected that answer. She believes that sports should be played for fun above anything else. Lynn's motto was; "If all you do is focus on winning, then you end up losing yourself."

_**POOF!**_

Then Luan appears again through a smokebomb and does her magic trick again.  
This time, the name on the slip of paper read "Lana".

* * *

**(Level 8: Lana)**

Kat was amazed at the amount of pets the family had. A dog named Charles, a cat named Clift, a canary named Walt, a hamster named Geo. And then there are Lana's personal pets. A frog named Hops, a lizard named Izzy and a snake named El Diablo. And then there was Luan's pet rabbit Gary and Lucy's pet bat Fangs.

'_She's a natural with all types of creatures'_ the blue haired lass thought to herself.

_**POOF!**_

Then Luan appears again through a smokebomb and does her magic trick again.  
This time, the name on the slip of paper read "Luan".

* * *

**(Level 9: Luan)**

Now it was the comedian's turn to shine.

She tested out a new comedy routine on Lincoln's friend. Who then ended up on the floor wailing in laughter. Luan was satisfied with that response. "But the journey's not over yet, there's one sister left" the comedian tells her "audience". And Kat had a pretty good feeling on who that sister was.

* * *

**(Level 10: Lily)**

Young Kathrine found herself back in the family room with the youngest sister. The two are in deep into a game of "Peek-a-Boo" and Lily was enjoying every moment of it. The other sisters were watching from the dining room area and their hearts completely melted.

Just then, Lincoln and Lynn Sr walked through the front door.

And then their hearts melted as well when they saw Kat playing "Peek-a-Boo" with Lily. The snow haired child coughed to get their attention. The blue haired lass looked up and saw that Lincoln was home. "I take it you had a good time while I was gone" he deducted. Kat nodded as her answer.

"Well the tour's not over quite yet" Lincoln tells his guest, "There's one place you haven't been to yet."

Kat understood what he meant by that. Lincoln then asked his dad if it was cool is he and Kat hung out in his room until dinner was ready. The patriarch had no problem with that. "You earned it after helping me out at the restaurant today" he told his son. So then Lincoln and his guest were off to his "secret lair".

* * *

"Welcome to my fortress of solitude if you will" Lincoln announced to his guest as they reached the bottom of the stairs. Meanwhile, Kat was completely in awe at Lincoln's bedroom. Wood panel walls covered with various band and video game posters, a large round rug, a couch, a TV with a VCR/DVD player and a NES, SNES and Sega Genesis, A dresser with a stereo on top of it, and a little bookshelf next to his bed.

Lincoln then continued, "The door on the left is the bathroom and the one on the right leads to the furnace."

Kat nodded in understanding as she was completely zeroed in on the game consoles. The snow haired child giggled slightly. "Ever played on a Genesis before?" he asks. The blue haired lass shook her head.

Lincoln then had an idea.

"Would you like to play?" he asks his guest. Kat nods in agreement. "Something like; Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition perhaps." The blue haired lass' eyes sparkled at the mention of the game.

**(Later…)**

Lincoln couldn't believe his eyes.

Kat had won every match…using Zangief of all fighters. He turned to his opponent, who gave him a toothy grin. "I…might have…this game for my Playstation back home…" she sheepishly admits. The gears in Lincoln's head were turning. _'Did…I just get hustled?'_ the snow haired child thought to himself.

The blue haired lass noticed the change in demeanor in her host.

"How about we discuss the art project for a bit?" she suggests. "Cool with me" Lincoln replies. They get settled on the couch to discuss their project. "So" Lincoln started, "How was spending one-on-one time with my sisters?" Kat's face then lit up like a Christmas tree. "They are so awesome!" she started, "Leni is an incredible designer, Lola would be a big hit at my grandfather's country club, Luna's willing to give me guitar lessons, Lucy is a little spooky but in a cool way, Lori was super nice and gave me awesome chocolate chip cookies, Lisa showed me this really cool trick, I beat Lynn at basketball, helped Lana fed all the animals, Luan is the funniest person I've ever met and Lily and I played a long game of Peek-A-Boo!"

Lincoln was happy to hear that Kat had such a great time with the girls.

* * *

**(Dinnertime)**

After some time talking about their project, the kids were called by Lynn Sr himself that it was time for dinner. Both of their stomachs growled very loudly, so they made their way up the stairs post-haste.

As everyone gathered around the dinner table, young Katherine made sure that she got to sit next to the snow haired child. Just then, the patriarch came in with a big pan of his famous "Lynnsagna". Kat had to admit, it smelled really good. But she was slightly concerned with everyone around her drooling at the mouth.

And then, Lynn Sr gave the first piece to Kat. "Since you're our guest, you should get the first piece" the Loud father tells her and then winked. The blue haired lass then looked at her plate. She's had lasagna before, but somehow, this one feels different but in a good way. She grabbed her fork and then took a bite of the food.

It was in that moment, Kat realized that this was NO ordinary lasagna.

The moment the food entered her mouth, her taste buds exploded with joy. Her eyes grew the size of dinner plates. Everyone around her knew what was about to happen. What happened well, Kat DEVOURED her plate as if she was a hungry shark. And then asked for seconds…and then thirds…

* * *

**(Afterwards…)**

The kids returned to Lincoln's room after dinner, but not before Kat asking Lynn Sr to possibly make a pan of his Lasagna to bring home to her parents. The family chef had no problem with that whatsoever.

"Any chance your dad might be willing to cater one of my parents charity events?" Kat asks Lincoln. The snow haired child mildly chuckled. "I don't see why not" he tells her. "It's a win-win situation. My dad gets to cater a big event and your folks get to eat his delicious food." Kat had to agree with the boy's logic.

"So since we have a little more time before bed, are there any other questions for the art project that you want to ask me?" Lincoln asks his partner. Kat had to think for a moment, and then it hit her.

"Who's your favorite sister?" she asks him.

The snow haired child sighed. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he does have a favorite. "If I answer that, this has to stay between us." Kat nodded in agreement. "Lori" Lincoln answers. "For as long as I can remember she was the one who was always there for me when no one else was. Don't get me wrong I have a great relationship with my other sisters. But Lori is more than just my big sister. She's my rock, my confidant. Whenever our parents go out for a date night she would turn the living room into a huge blanket fort just for the two of us. In fact, she was the one who gave me confidence on the day you gave me the comic book."

Kat was in awe at Lincoln's answer.

* * *

**(Bedtime)**

After answering such a deep question, Lincoln decided it was time for bed.

"Uh I forgot to ask, but where am I sleeping?" Kat asks. The snow haired child then walked over to the couch and removed the cushions, doing that he opened up the pull-out bed from inside. "I know it's probably not anything you're used to, but since we don't have a spare room and I doubt you'd want to sleep on the couch upstairs by yourself. My parents said it was okay." Lincoln explains. The lass nodded in agreement.

Then the snow haired child continued, "You can use the bathroom to change into your pajamas if you wanted to." Kat took Lincoln up that offer. After a few minutes, she came back out in her nightwear as Lincoln put on his white sleep shirt. As she got on the couch bed, she had to get something off her chest.

"Hey Lincoln, can I admit something to you?" Kat asked. "Sure" Lincoln replied. "When you first told me about your sisters, I was jealous. Growing up, I always wanted a little brother or sister. And I know that my parents wanted to have more children but they couldn't unfortunately. I even overheard my mom once saying that giving birth to me was nothing short of a miracle. I've felt so alone for a long time. But then I met you and then you introduced me to your sisters. For these last few hours, I stopped feeling alone for the first time in forever. So I need to say thank you. Thank you for today and for everyday since we've met."

It was in that very moment Lincoln fully understood why Kat wanted to come here.

The snow haired child truly realized just how fortunate he really was. 5 big sisters that always have his back and 5 younger sisters that look up to him for guidance. At one point or another Lincoln did wonder what life would be like if he was an only child. But after hearing Kat's confession, he realized that didn't want to know anymore. _'To live in a world without my sisters, I don't ever want to think about it again'_ he thought.

Lincoln had to do something; he couldn't just let his guest wallow in self pity. "Hey" he spoke to gain her attention. "Do you want to do something before we go to sleep? Like play one last game or read?"

Kat then remembered something that she brought with her.

She grabbed her overnight bag and searched around for whatever she was looking for, and then she found it. All six Scott Pilgrim graphic novels, she then laid out all the books on her "bed". Then she spoke up, "I saw you looking particularly interested at these books when you were over at my house, so I thought maybe you'd be interested in reading with me." Lincoln smiled. "I'd like that" he tells her.

Kat then tossed over the first volume over to Lincoln and she began re-reading volume two. Sometime later, Lincoln asked for the next volume and repeated that until he read all six books. After finishing all 6 volumes, the snow haired child was completely hooked. "Wow…just, wow…" he muttered. Kat understood where Lincoln was coming from. That's how she felt after the first time she read all the books. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asks him. Lincoln then let out a big yawn. "I would, but it's getting pretty late" he admits. The blue haired lass had to agree. So the snow haired child then returned the books back to Kat and then turned off the lights and then climbed back into his bed. "Goodnight Kat." "Goodnight Lincoln." And then the boy was out like a light. As for the lass, she quickly grabbed something else out of her bag. It was a little kitten shaped nightlight. She then plugged it into the nearest outlet. She felt a little silly, but she was afraid Lincoln might laugh if he learned that she was still afraid of the dark. Afterwards, she climbed back into bed and then began to close her eyes and slowly drifted off to dreamland.

* * *

**(Next time…)**  
"Blanket Forts and Mending Bonds"

* * *

**Lincoln's playlist:**

"Wouldn't It Be Nice" by The Beach Boys  
"Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles  
**(cover)** "Conjunction Junction" by Better Than Ezra  
"I Gotcha" by Joe Tex  
"Blitzkrieg Pop" by Ramones  
"I'm a Believer" by The Monkees  
"By Your Side" by Beachwood Sparks

* * *

**AN #1: So something I feel like I need to get off my chest, the Loud family van in this story is the van known as Veronica that most would remember from the episode, "Vantastic Voyage". The reason for that is, I just wanted the family to have a nice reliable vehicle instead of one that constantly broke down.**

**AN #2: Luan's magic words were inspired from author Fallen Pens' story, "The Silent Treatment".  
**

**AN#3: Kat using Zangief was inspired by the manga/anime, "Hi Score Girl".**


	6. Blanket Forts and Mending Bonds

***Disclaimer* I do not own The Loud House.**

* * *

**AN: I know that this chapter is shorter than the last two but trust me, this chapter will give you BIG time feels.**

* * *

**(Recap)**

The last couple of days were interesting for ol' Lincoln Loud and Kat Ketchum to say the least.

After spending the first two days at each other's houses the children had a better idea of how they wanted to do their art project, a painting. They decided that the centerpiece will be both of them as one but there will be a line down the middle to show each side. Lincoln's side will feature his right of his face and his family and Kat's side will be her left side of her face and then her family. It was the perfect combination.

So after coming up with a solid plan, the kids wasted no time getting to work. And they ended up finishing it just one day before it was due. So that meant they could spend their Thursday night just chilling.

* * *

**(Date: September 15, 2016)  
(Location: the Loud House)**

Normally the Loud parents have their occasional "date night" on a Friday night, but they made an exception in this particular case. There was this movie playing in a theater in Hazeltucky and this was the last night that the place would show it. They knew their children would be fine especially with Lori in charge, but that didn't stop them with going over the rules with the kids before leaving.

"I know all of you know the rules, but remember-" "Don't leave the house, don't let anyone in, have everyone into bed before 11. I know mom, this isn't my first rodeo" Lori told her mother.

Rita sighed "I know sweetie. But as a mother, you always worry when you leave your children home alone no matter how old they are." The eldest daughter understood what the matriarch was saying. "One other thing, try to be a little nicer to Luna" Rita requested. Lori huffed, "No promises."

_**HONK-HONK!**_

The Loud mother groaned in exasperation, "I swear that man sometimes…" she mutters under her breath. She looks to her daughter. "Be good, be safe and we love you all. We'll probably be back a little after midnight." Rita then gave Lori a quick kiss on the forehead and then left to give her hubby a quick lesson in patience.

Lori then took a few deep breaths, and then grabbed her whistle from her pocket and blew on it. And then all the rest of the siblings and even the pets came from every which way and lined up in chorological order.

"Alright, listen up" Lori started. "Mom and dad won't be back for a while. And since this is a school night, I expect all of you to at least be in bed by 8:30. And my rules are as followed; Luna no using your electric guitar, Lynn no late night jogs and Lana no bringing mud into the house. Other than that, you are all free to do what you will. And Lincoln will be with me, does everyone understand?" the siblings all nod as their answer.

"Excellent, you may all resume your activities" Lori declares.

As the other siblings went back to doing what they did, the snow haired child saw the dejected look in Luna's eyes. He felt bad for his musical sister. Ever since the accident, Luna grew more distant by the day. And it's not just for when Lori was in charge, it became almost the norm and that didn't sit well with Lincoln.

"Lincoln, come on I have an idea I want to discuss." Lori calls out to the snow haired child snapping out of his stupor. He wanted to talk to Luna, but he knew better than to keep his big sister waiting. Luna saw her brother going up the stairs to talk to Lori, and that made her feel depressed. _'4 years, and she still hasn't let it go'_ the musician thought to herself.

* * *

**(Lori and Leni's room)**

"So" Lori began, "since mom and dad went out to see a movie I thought it would be fun if we had a movie night of our own." This peaked Lincoln's interest. "I think I know a movie we could watch" the boy spoke. "The other day, Kat let me borrow her Blu-ray copy of **Scott Pilgrim vs. the World**. She recommended it after I finished reading her copies of the comics, she also told me that the movie can be watched by someone who hasn't read the books she put it as the movie is like a alternate take of the story itself" Lincoln explains.

Lori liked her little brother's proposal, it sounded like a cute little movie in her mind.  
"So it's decided. You'll grab the movie, and I'll set up the fort and make popcorn and grab drinks" Lori spoke.

Lincoln agrees, but then he had a thought.

"Hey Lori" he says to her, "do you think we can invite Luna to movie night?" The eldest sister had to do a double take. "I…I don't know" she says quietly, but the snow haired child heard her anyway.

"I know you two have your differences, but I really think it would be a good thing to invite her. So please, can Luna join us?" For good measure, Lincoln threw in the infamous puppy dog eyes and pout.

It was in that moment Lori regretted teaching the snow haired child the "puppy dog pout". She then sighed in defeat. "Okay, Luna can come…" she mutters. Lincoln was happy to hear that. "Awesome, so I'll grab the movie and make the popcorn while you go and invite Luna." Lori had to take another moment, "Wait what?!"

But before she could retort, Lincoln had already left.

'_Sometimes that boy is too sneaky for his own good'_ the eldest sister thought to herself. It looked like she had no other choice. Lori then took in a few deep breaths. _'Just remember, you're doing it for Lincoln.'_

* * *

**(Luna and Luan's room)**

A few minutes later, Lori walked up the doorframe and saw her musical sister on the top bunk clad in her pajamas strumming on her acoustic guitar and then the comedic sister on the bottom bunk writing new jokes in her notebook. She knocks on the frame to gain their attentions.

"Hey Luan could you give Luna and I a sec? I need to talk to her in private."

"That's okay with me; I need to use the bathroom anyway." And then Luan left to do her nighttime routine. And now the oldest sister and musician are alone. To say Luna was nervous is a HUGE understatement.

"So here's the thing," Lori started "Lincoln and I are having a movie night downstairs and he wanted me to invite you as well." Luna was shocked. "You…guys, want me to join you?" she asks her sister with hopefulness and a hint of uncertainty in her tone. "No. Lincoln wants you to join us. Now come on, we have to set up the fort while Lincoln grabs the movie and makes popcorn." Lori explains in a rather blunt/cold tone.

Luna wasn't even put off by her sister's attitude, she was just happy that she was able to spend time with her brother. _'Yes! Finally!'_ the musician thought to herself.

* * *

**(Later…)**

After getting Luna on board, Lori had to stop back to her room and changed into her pajamas as well. Afterwards, the two siblings came down the stairs and began to set up the fort. Well, more like Lori doing the actual work and making Luna grab all the blankets and pillows. But still, the musical sister was undeterred. This was the first time in years that she gets to hang out with Lincoln and that is what's getting her through this part. Just as Lori was putting on the finishing touches, Lincoln clad in his pajamas came in with a huge bowl of popcorn and a bag of regular M&M's just special for Luna. He remembered that she told him that was her favorite kind of chocolate. "They melt in your mouth, not in your pocket." She would tell him.

Luna was touched that Lincoln remembered that. Then the snow haired child came up to her, "I'm really glad you came" he whispered to her. "I'm really glad you wanted me to come" she whispered back.

Lori watched the two interact, and she was having mixed feelings about it.

She was happy that Lincoln was happy. And deep down, she knew that she needed to let go of what Luna did, but something inside still told her not to. But maybe this was a chance to change that. After all her mom did tell her to try to be nicer to her musically inclined sister, inviting her to a movie night is nice right?

So the siblings entered the fort and Luna was impressed with the interior.

She laid the floor with blankets and pillows, she build the fort itself around the area of the TV and sofa so there was plenty of room for everyone. Lincoln then crawled over to the TV and pulled out the disc and inserted it into the player. After a few minutes, the siblings got all situated and then they were greeted with the image of a pixelated Universal Pictures logo on the screen.

It was in that moment, Lincoln silently thanked Kat for letting him borrow her copy.

* * *

About halfway through the movie, they cleared the bowl of popcorn. Lincoln then paused the movie and left to refill the bowl. So then the two sisters were left alone. Luna felt slightly nervous due to knowing that she was here because Lincoln and only Lincoln, wanted her to be here. But the musically inclined sister gained a boost in confidence. After all if Michael Cera can pull of playing the very definition of an anti-hero, than why can't she find the strength to talk to her own sister? "So…" Luna started, "What do you think of the movie so far?" she asks Lori in an attempt to strike up a conversation with her older sister.

Lori had to think for a moment. "Well, the characters are certainly interesting. Although I'm not too sure about that Kim character, she seems a little too hateful." Luna quietly scoffs at the irony of Lori's opinion.

"I think you have more in common with her than you realize" the musician mutters under her breath. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" Lori asks in a certain tone. Luna froze, she had to think of something quick. "Uh, I said… that I really liked the Stephen Stills character's guitar playing." She prayed that Lori would buy that.

"Really? Cause I think you said that I have more in common with the Kim character than I realize."

'_crap…'_ Luna thought.

Then Lori continued, "And another thing, maybe Kim wouldn't be so spiteful if Scott actually took the time to realize that he did her wrong and apologize instead of walking around like he didn't do anything wrong."

That triggered Luna in a bad way.

"Maybe Scott did try to apologize but Kim, but maybe she was just to dang stubborn and pigheaded to accept it and move on with her life" the musician snarled back. Those were fighting words in Lori's mind.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lincoln had just came back with a fresh bowl of popcorn.

He was walking back from the kitchen when he heard a noise. He rushed while gripping to the bowl and then he came into the living room and saw Lori and Luna on the floor outside the fort, rolling around smacking each other in various places. The snow haired child dropped the bowl not caring that popcorn got all over the floor. He rushed over to his fighting sisters, and then pulled them apart.

As the sisters got up, they were breathing heavily due to physically attacking each other. Lincoln then looked at the two sisters he looked up to the most with complete and utter disappointment in his eyes. "I give up…" the snow haired child muttered. And then he just walked out the front door. "LINCOLN!" both girls call out to him, but it was too late. Then they looked to each other with panic and fear taking over.

"Truce" Lori offers. "Truce" Luna replies.

And with that, the two began searching all over the house to find their only brother. He wasn't in his room. He wasn't in any of the sister's or the parent's rooms. He wasn't in the kitchen or the dining room. He wasn't in the yard or in the garage. He wasn't in the attic. He wasn't anywhere in the house.

Lori and Luna began to panic.

"This is all my fault" Luna spoke out loud, "If I didn't act like such a wanker none of this would've ever happened." Lori looked to her little sister. "No Luna, this is my fault." She admitted. The musically inclined sister looked up. "You were right all along; I'm the one who hasn't let go of what happened with Lincoln."

Lori sniffled a little bit, "Lincoln means so much to me. I'll never forget the day he was born and when I got to hold him. I promised that I'll always protect him." "Even if it meant from his own family?" Luna commented.

"As twisted as it sounds, I guess so" the eldest daughter retorts.

"I think we're both to blame" the musician spoke, "I'm the one who hurt Lincoln in the first place. And I have barely made any efforts for the last 4 years to try make things right. In a way I really am like Scott, I run away from my problems. I'm nothing but a coward." Lori placed her hand on Luna's shoulder.

Then she spoke, "And that really makes me Kim for not letting go of the past. I don't want to fight anymore. All I want is find Lincoln and bring him home and tell him how sorry I am and for keeping him away for you for so long." Luna had to agree with the finding Lincoln part. But the question is; where did he go?

Then Luna remembers something. "I think I know where he went" she thought out loud.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: Ketcham park)**

The two sisters walked around the grounds in the dark armed with flashlights.

"Are you sure that Lincoln's here?" Lori asks. "If I know Lincoln like I think I do, he should be just up ahead." Luna tells her big sister. Just as they walked over the hill they look down to the playground and saw a lone figure on the swing set. The figure looked to be a little boy with white hair. The girls felt like their hearts leaped into their throats. They pretty much raced all the way down to the playground area.

Meanwhile, the snow haired child was just sitting on a swing.

'_Why can't they just get along?'_ he thought to himself while shedding a lone tear. Then he heard footsteps coming closer. He looks up and saw Lori and Luna armed with their flashlights, clad in their bathrobes with blankets draped over their shoulders to keep warm. In any other situation, Lincoln would've been happy to see his sisters, but not this time. He was completely fed up with their BS.

The girls noticed his sour demeanor, but they had to make things right.

"Lincoln" Lori started, "I know you're angry and you have every right to be…" until Lincoln cut her off. "4 years. You have been mad at Luna for the last 4 years, I was never mad at her for what happened. In fact, it was Luna's idea to listen to music to drown out the ringing in my ears. She introduced me to a dang-near all the bands and songs that are on my i-Pod. So yeah, she helped me without you even knowing it."

Lori was taken aback by Lincoln's confession.

She then turned to Luna and wondered if this was true. The musician sighed. "He's telling the truth, a few days after the accident I gave him one of my old MP3 players and he liked a lot of the music on it. And then a few Christmases later, he got his own device. But he transferred all the music I showed him onto it."

Then Lori turned back to Lincoln. "How come you never told me this before?" the snow haired child scoffed. "Because back then you barely let Luna anywhere near me, even when mom and dad were home. So telling you that I was listening to music that she recommended to me didn't seem like a good idea at the time."

Realization hit Lori like a pile of bricks. "I…have been a real jerk, haven't I?" she asks to no one in particular.

Now Lincoln and Luna felt bad for ganging up on her. The eldest daughter tuned to her musically inclined sister. "I am so sorry for the way I've acted" her eyes began to water "I've been a horrible sister…and you just took all the crap I threw at you!" Lori couldn't take it anymore; she dropped her flashlight and dropped to her knees crying her eyes out. Now the musician and the snow haired child felt like garbage.

They rushed over to their big sister's side and hugged her. "Shhh, it's okay Lori" Lincoln tried to sooth her. Luna rubbed circles on her back to calm her down. But the eldest just kept sobbing.

Then Luna and Lincoln had an idea. It was a long shot, but it was better than nothing. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…" Lincoln sung. Then Luna took over, "_Y_ou make me happy when skies are gray, you'll never know dear how much I love you…" Lincoln took over again, "Please don't take my sunshine other night dear while I lay sleeping, I dreamt I held you in my I awoke dear I was mistaken so I hung my head and cried…" then both siblings sang in unison, "You are my sunshine, my only make me happy when skies are gray; you'll never know dear how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine don't take my sunshine don't take my sunshine away."

Lori's cries slowly turned to whimpers, and then she stopped crying an looked up in awe at her siblings attempts of cheering her up. "I…remember that song" she mutters, "I used to sing that to both of you at night during thunderstorms because that was the only way to calm you down."

"What can we say?" Luna spoke, "We learned from the best" Lincoln finishes. Lori was deeply touched by Luna and Lincoln trying to make her feel better. "How did I get so dang lucky to have such wonderful siblings like you two?" she sniffles. Luna and Lincoln smiled, "Because we have a awesome big sister that taught us everything we know" Lincoln answers.

"Do you want to go home now?" Luna asks; both Lori and Lincoln nodded.

* * *

**(Timeskip)**  
**(Scene change)  
(Location: the Loud house)**

After returning from the park, Lincoln vacuumed up the spilled popcorn and made a fresh bowl. And Lori grabbed her emergency carton of vanilla ice cream while Luna grabbed more M&M's and her acoustic guitar.

Then they all went back inside the fort and finished the movie.

They ended up really enjoying the rest of the film. Luna laughed her butt off at the "Bi-furious" line and she got entranced with the fight with the Katayanagi twins. Lori liked how Scott redeemed himself after using his 1-up. And ol' Lincoln liked all the video game special effects, especially when Canadian coins went all over the Chaos Theater. All and all, the snow haired child was still grateful that Kat lent her copy to him.

* * *

**(Much later…)**

It was pass midnight when the Loud parents returned home. As they opened the front door, they were greeted to the sounds of three different snores. Then their eyes landed on the large blanket fort. They peaked inside and saw Lori, Luna and Lincoln sleeping so peacefully in a pile together. Not wanting to disturb them, Rita puts an extra blanket over them and whispers goodnight to them. She gives Lori a kiss on the forehead, _'I knew you could do it sweetie' _the matriarch thought to herself. And then the parents tip toed quietly into their bedroom. Lori then smiles in her sleep. _'Best…night…ever…'_ the oldest sister thought.

* * *

**(Next time…)**  
"With a Little Help From My Friend"

* * *

**Lincoln's playlist:**

"Luna" by The Smashing Pumpkins  
"Anthems for Seventeen Year Old Girl" by Broken Social Scene  
"Threshold" by Sex Bob-Omb  
"Hillcrest Park" by Nigel Godrich  
"I'll Try" by KJ Apa

* * *

**AN #1: So the their movie choice is because "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" is one of my personal favorite movies and I am I HUGE Scott Pilgrim fan in general, so there will be other times I will make references to the series.**

**AN#2: The park scene was partly inspired by the story "A Loud To Stay" written by UndyingSpirit. it was one of the first LH stories I ever read.**

**AN#3: I know some of you will be surprised at how I wrote Lori and Luna. But I needed to do it so those two would make up properly.**

**Final AN: The scene where Luna and Lincoln sang "You Are My Sunshine" to Lori was inspired by two things. To pay homage to a moment in the story, "Meeting a Loud" by zachlor16. And it was a song that my mom used to sing to me all the time when I was younger. She even called me her "Sunshine Boy".**


	7. With a Little Help From My Friend

***Disclaimer* I do not own The Loud House.**

* * *

**AN: I hope you all enjoy this installment, it was a real labor of love.**

* * *

**(Date: September 16, 2016)  
(Location: Royal Woods Elementary school)**

**(Art class)**

Today's the big day, the day Lincoln and Kat present their art project to the class.

And needless to say, they were feeling a little nervous. As they watched their classmates give their presentations, they were impressed by the pieces. Rusty and Jenny's was a sculpture of the tower of Great Lakes City. Caleb and Caroline's was diorama of Ketcham Park with realistic trees and bushes.

The snow haired child looks to his partner, "Do you think Miss Mumford will like it?" he whispers. "Why wouldn't she?" she whispers back, "She said to make this piece speak on a personal level. And this is as personal as it gets." Lincoln couldn't really argue that that kind of logic.

"And now for the final presentation, Lincoln and Kathrine please come up" their teacher announces.

The children took a deep breath, and then walked up to the front of the room with their piece covered in a tarp. Miss Mumford then gave them an easel to put their canvas on. The snow haired child and blue haired lass stared at all the piercing eyes focusing on them. And then Lincoln spoke, "So our piece is entitled "Family", and you'll understand why in a moment." Kat then pulled off the tarp to reveal the painting.

Miss Mumford and everyone in the class looked in awe at the picture.

It was a split style portrait. Lincoln's face was on the right side and all of his sisters and parents were in the background. And Kat's face was on the left side and her parents and grandfather were in the background.

Then Kat took over, "At first we didn't know what kind of media to use. We tried sketching, sculpting even making a diorama. But then we settled on paints. But then we had to figure out the structure." Lincoln then took over "The split design was actually inspired by when Kat saw me flip a coin in the air. The concept of the "two sides of a coin" really grew on the both of us and that's how we came up with this."

Lincoln then took over again, "Now some of you are wondering why we chose family as our theme am I right?" The class and even Miss Mumford nodded. The snow haired child then continued, "The idea actually came to Kat after we were given this assignment." Kat once again took over, "Since I am an only child while Lincoln has 10 sisters it was a chance to study to each other's home life and to see differences and similarities. It was also to show that even though we do kind of represent the opposite sides, we are the same on other levels. Kat explains. The class and Miss Mumford are completely silent, which worries the kids.

But then the teacher began to clap, and soon the rest of the class followed.

The claps grew louder, as if Lincoln and Kat were given a standing ovation. "Excellent work you two" Miss Mumford told them, "This is exactly what I meant by making something that speaks on a personal level!"

And then she gave the kids an A+ on their project.

* * *

**(After school)**

_**BBBRRRIIINNNGGG**_

As Lincoln and Kat grabbed their bags of their lockers, they breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wow, I didn't think we'd get a standing ovation from the class" the snow haired child admitted. "I know what you mean, but I think we did earn that grade" the lass admitted. "So, what do we do now?" Lincoln asks.

Kat had to ponder for a moment. "How about we spend the day together, just you and me?" she offers. Lincoln smiled. "Sounds like a great idea to me." With that, Kat called her parents and told them that she's hanging out with Lincoln and probably won't be home until late. And Lincoln called Lori and told him that he doesn't need a ride because he's spending the rest of the day with Kat and won't be home until later.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: Ketcham Park)**

The blue haired lass suggested coming here as soon as they left the school grounds, Lincoln had no problems with it despite the events that had transpired last night. As they walked around, they saw an ice cream truck pull up. The kids then ordered a mint chip cone for Kat and pain vanilla for the snow haired child.

After getting their ice cream cones, they found a bench to sit at while they ate.

Then the blue haired lass remembered something. "Oh hey, did you happen to watch the Scott Pilgrim movie yet?" she asks the snow haired child. Lincoln froze up slightly. At first he didn't exactly want to tell her, but he didn't want to come off as a liar. So he had to tell her the truth. "Yeah actually last night" he tells her. "Did you like it?" She asks. "It was really awesome. And Lori and Luna loved it too" he answers.

Kat then noticed a change in her friend's tone.

"Did something happen last night?" she asks. Lincoln sighed, "Last night my parents went out on a date night and left Lori in charge. Lori suggested the she and I have a movie night of our own since that's what our parents went out for. So then I suggested Scott Pilgrim and Lori said it was okay. And that's when I thought about inviting Luna. Lori was hesitant at first, but then I more or less wore her down. After that, we set up the family room so we could all watch the movie complete with snacks. About halfway through the movie, I paused it to get more popcorn. When I came back, I found Lori and Luna on the ground hitting each other."

Kat was shocked to hear that, but had a feeling that Lincoln wasn't finished yet.

"I also need to tell you something else. Until last night, Lori and Luna had a rocky relationship to the say the least. The reason for that is because Luna was the one who caused my accident when I was 4. After that, Lori lost a lot of trust in Luna. But I need to also say that I never resented Luna for what happened. In fact she was the one who got me into music. But Lori wouldn't let go of what happened that day. And that's why they finally snapped last night. And I had enough of it, so I left. I actually came here to clear my head. Shortly after both Lori and Luna found me and we all had a discussion that was long overdue. Long story short, Lori and Luna finally made up and we went back home and finished the movie and had a great time."

After Lincoln finished his little story, Kat instinctively pulled the boy into a hug.

The snow haired child was confused at first, but then understood considering a good portion of the story. "I'm glad that your sisters made up" she tells him. "So am I" he tells her. "It was hard watching them act like that."

"I can imagine" Kat spoke. Soon the lass let go of the boy and the two finished their ice creams and then decided to walk around a little more. Then they walked past the playground area, which gave Lincoln a little ol' idea. He takes Kat's hand and then bolted to the playground. They played on the swing set, then on the teeter totter and then went down the side for old time's sake.

"I…have not done that in years" the blue haired lass admitted. The snow haired child chucked. "I have 5 little sisters, they like coming here a lot." "I can see that" Kat commented.

"So what should we do next?" she asks her friend. And then Lincoln had another little ol' idea.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: Gus' Games 'n' Grub)**

"And here we are" Lincoln announces. As he opened the doors, the kids were greeted the smell of fresh pizza and the sweet sound of 16-bit music. "Huh, I've always wanted to check this place out, but I never could find the right time" Kat admits. "Well then, let's change that right now" Lincoln tells his friend.

And so, Lincoln introduced Kat some of his favorite arcade machines. Games like, Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and most importantly; Dance, Dance Revolution. Kat was completely amazed at Lincoln's incredible dance moves. "Where did you learn to dance like that?" she asks. "From this very machine and with a little help from Lori" Lincoln tells her. Kat whistles in admiration.

Afterwards, the two at down at a booth and ordered a large pepperoni with extra cheese.

"So, do you come here often?" Kat asks. "Not as much as I would like to" Lincoln admits, "considering my sisters and the game systems I have back home." The blue haired lass understood that. "What do you prefer, playing on an arcade cabinet or on a home console?" Kat asks. "Oooh, that's a toughie" Lincoln had to ponder on that question. "I'd say it's about 50/50. While I like playing on machines like DDR, I really do like how can save my games at home" Lincoln answers. Kat respected that answer.

And then their waiter came to give them their pizza. The two then took a slice and they raised their hands to give a toast. As Kat took a bite into her slice, she had another "religious experience" if you will.

In that moment, Lincoln was happy that he was able to eat at least one slice.

After eating and playing just a few more games, the snow haired child and blue haired lass left the arcade/pizzeria completely satisfied. "So how did you enjoy your first time at Gus'?" Lincoln asks. Kat then belched very loudly as part of her answer. "I'd definitely come back" she comments.

"So is there anywhere else you want to go?" Lincoln asks. The lass then had a little ol' idea of her own.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: the Royal woods mall)**

Lincoln was no stranger to this place due to the loads of shopping sprees that his sisters have done. Besides, there's an incredible video game resale shop here that he's gotten some really great deals on. "So, where should we go first?" Kat asks. "Well, I know my sister Leni would be happy if I popped in for a visit at her work" Lincoln thinks out loud. This made the lass curious, "Where does she work?"

"She works at the department store Reininger's" Lincoln answers. And then Kat's eyes began to sparkle. "I…LOVE THAT STORE!" she shouts. "I've gotten SO many cute clothes and accessories there!" Lincoln was taken aback by Kat's response, and then she grabbed the boy's arm and zoomed across the mall to reach the store at neck breaking speed. People around them swore that Kat's feet were spinning like wheels on a car.

'_She's like Lynn, the Roadrunner and Sonic the Hedgehog combined'_ Lincoln thought.

* * *

Kat eventually slowed down as they finally reached their destination.

Both children had to take a moment to regain composure after running completely across the mall without stopping. _'Lynn would've been impressed with that kind of speed'_ Lincoln thought to himself.

After taking a few minutes, the kids walked into the department store calmly and quietly. Kat was taking stock of all the clothes she wanted to try out in the future and Lincoln was trying to see if he could spot Leni. He wouldn't have to look far, as she was walking right towards them.

As the working the fashionista was making her rounds, she noticed her little brother and friend walking into the store. She then proceeds to walk over to them. "Hi Linky!" she calls out to him. Kat then slightly snickers at the boy's nickname while the snow haired child violently blushed at being called that in public. And then Leni gave Lincoln a hug to which he returned. "So what brings you two here?" she asks. "Well Kat and I wanted to celebrate getting a good grade on our art project so we went to the park, then the Game 'n' Grub and then we came here after telling Kat that you worked here" Lincoln explains.

Then Leni got an idea, a really good idea.

* * *

**(Mini Game: Leni's fashion show)**

_**FLASH!  
FLASH!  
FLASH!  
FLASH!  
FLASH!**_

Lincoln's camera on his phone kept flashing nonstop as he was taking pictures of Kat trying new clothes. Now fortunately for him, he had prior experience due to doing photo shoots for Lola.

As for the blue haired lass in question; she tried out a new raincoat complete with matching hat, boots and umbrella. Then she tried on a new bathing suit with a matching floppy sun hat. Then she tried on a beautiful white faux fur coat. Then went for a 90s hipster look complete with a beanie and a flannel shirt jacket. And just for fun, she tried a classic tuxedo with matching top hat and monocle.

* * *

**(Afterwards…)**

"Ice cream at the park, pizza at an awesome video arcade and then your sister setting up this little fashion show with you playing photographer. Lincoln Loud, you sure know how to show a girl a good time!" Kat exclaims. "Aw shucks, it's nothing really." Lincoln blushes at the complement.

"Don't be so modest little brother" Leni spoke as she walked back towards the kids.

"Hey Leni if you don't mind me asking this, how long have you been working here?" Kat asked the question that was burning in the back of her head. The fashionista perked up. "Oooh I'm glad you asked. It all started a little over a year ago, my siblings were trying to help me be a little more aggressive when it came to getting what I wanted during a store sale. After a while, I started to feel crummy about acting like a greedy shopper. So I ended up giving away all things I wanted to buy to people that really wanted them. After that, people were really touched by my generosity. So much in fact, that one woman gave me a little gift after I gave her a swimsuit for her granddaughter. Another woman paid for a whole cart full of fries for me and my siblings because I gave her a sweater. Then a couple gave me a gift card to the frozen yogurt shop because I helped the husband pick out a tie. And then Ms. Carmichael, the manager of Reiningers came up to me and offered me a job as a sales employee because she heard of how I helped out all those people. To me it was a dream come true to work at my favorite store, so I accepted her offer and I never looked back. And then seven months later, something incredible happened. Ms. C gave me the position of temporary manager of the store while she went out of town for a sock folding conference. At first I was nervous of being promoted like that, but then after some sage advice from Lori and Lincoln I became more confident. And then when Ms. C came back, she was so impressed with how I was handling store she promoted me to assistant manager and now I work alongside her in a more management role while still being on the sales floor."

"And I haven't regretted that decision ever since." An unknown voice spoke out, and made young Kathrine jump ever so slightly. The lass turned around and saw Ms. Carmichael looking at all of them. "Leni, I thought we talked about your little showcases during store hours…" she spoked in a certain tone to the Loud girl. Lincoln and Kat felt nervous, as if they inadvertently got Leni in trouble. But then the red haired manager continued, "That you would call me and then I could be a judge" she jokes. The kids breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's nice to see you again Lincoln" the manager commented. "Same" Lincoln replies. "How's your son doing these days?" "Oh Tucker is doing well, he's making a lot new friends since the school year started." Then she noticed the snow haired child was with someone that wasn't one of the other Loud siblings. "And who is this?" she asks to no one in particular. "Hi, I'm Lincoln's friend Kat" the lass explains as she shakes hands with the adult. "Well any friend of Lincoln's is always welcomed at Reininger's" Ms. Carmichael comments.

"As much as I would like to stick around, I must be going. I have some paperwork that needs to be dealt with." With that, the red haired manger walked back to her office. "She seems nice" Kat comments, "She really seemed to like you" she looked in Lincoln's direction. "I…might've babysat for her son once or twice…" the snow haired child sheepishly admits. "Aw, that's so sweet" Kat cooed.

"So what do you want to do now?" Lincoln asks as he desperately wants to change the subject.

The lass had to ponder on that for a moment. _'We've been to the park, been to an arcade and then the mall…'_ Then she thought of something. "How about we go back to your house? I wouldn't mind having a rematch on Special Champion Edition. I promise not to use Zangief." The snow haired child smiled, "Deal."

"Hey if you two need a ride, I can get Lori to pick up all of us. My shift's almost over anyway" Leni offers.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: Lincoln's room)**

After getting a ride from Lori, Kat made good on her promise…but couldn't tell Lincoln that she's beaten the game using all the available characters. But Lincoln managed to put up a good fight, but realizes she is a far more superior fighter than he is…for the time being of course.

"That was a good game" the snow haired child told his opponent. "I must say that you are a very formidable opponent yourself" the blue haired lass replies back. Just then, she had to excuse herself to use the bathroom. After a few minutes, she came back out feeling relieved and then she noticed a picture on Lincoln's nightstand. She walked over to it and picked it up. _'It kind of looks like Lucy' _Kat thought to herself.

"Hey Lincoln…" the lass calls out to get the boy's attention. "Who's this picture of?" she asks.

The snow haired child then walked over to see which picture Kat was talking about. She then gave the picture back to him, and the boy felt a sense of nostalgia wash over him. "This is a portrait of my great grandma Harriet" Lincoln began to explain, "I understand why you thought for a second she was Lucy. Mom and dad always said that Lucy got her looks from her." The boy then let out a sigh, "I still remember the day Lucy came home from the hospital and when she first laid eyes on great grandma. She gave her the biggest smile a newborn could possibly give and her onyx eyes shined in the light. She and Lucy were very close. I like to think I had a close relationship with her as well, but I know Lucy was her favorite. Aside from my grandpa, I always thought she was one of the coolest people in our family. She believed in the supernatural like Lucy does. In fact in her will, she left Lucy her crystal ball and tarot card deck. But I'll never forget my memento from her." Then Lincoln walked over to his bed and pulled something from underneath his pillow.

"A little while after I was born, she came to visit and then gave me this." he then showed Kat an old stuffed rabbit wearing a purple collared shirt. "She hand stitched it herself. I absolutely adored this little guy throughout my whole early childhood. But as I got older, I just couldn't bear to part with him since he's the only thing I have of my great grandma to remember her by." Lincoln took a deep breath, "I miss her a lot. Sometimes I participate in Lucy's séances to see if I could talk to her one last time."

After hearing that, Kat pulled Lincoln into a hug.

"That was a beautiful story" the lass sniffled "if you don't mind me asking, how did she pass?" Lincoln wasn't offended. "Natural causes, she was actually in her 90s. She even got to see the twins once after they were born. But unfortunately, she never got to see Lisa and Lily. I keep this picture on my nightstand as a reminder that even though she's not here physically, she will always be in here" Lincoln then points to where his heart is. The snow haired child then put the picture back on the stand and the rabbit back under the pillow.

"So, what should we do now?" Lincoln asks. "Want to watch some TV?" Kat offers.  
The snow haired child smiles, "Sounds like a plan to me."

So then the kids watched a little TV and then they did a little bit of homework since they had the same classes, and then ol' Lynn Sr called everyone for dinner. "Do you want to stay for dinner?" Lincoln asks.

"I'd like to, but I'd have to call my parents first" Kat answers.

* * *

After getting permission from her parents, the blue haired lass had dinner with Lincoln with his family. Everyone sat around the table and listened to Lincoln and Kat's day and then she passed her phone around to show their finished art project. Not surprising, everyone was blown away by the amount of detail in the painting. And then the kids talked about what they did after school from the park to playing at Gus' Games 'n' Grub to visiting Leni at the mall. "It sure sounds like the both of you had a full day" Rita comments.

After dinner, the kids went back to Lincoln's room and played a few more games. And then Kat's phone went off, she got a text from her mom that she sent Kirby to come pick her up. So then Lincoln helped Kat gathering all her things back into her schoolbag, and then walked her out to where Kirby was parked they were saying their goodbyes, all the Loud sisters came out and said their goodbyes as well.

* * *

**(Later that night…)**

After doing his bedtime routine, Lincoln got his pajamas on and climbed into his bed.

But then he turned to the picture on the nightstand. He grabs it and let out a sigh. "Hey great grandma, I know it's been awhile since I reached out like this. But I wanted to catch you up on current events. The biggest thing that happened to me was that I made a friend, a real honest and for true friend. And I am really happy, happier than I've been a long time. And Lori and Luna finally buried the hatchet and are getting close again. So life is good. Its times like this I really wish you were still round so I could have a real conversation with you but I know deep down that you are in a better place now." The snow haired child let out a sniffle.

"I just want you to know that I still miss you very much and I think about you a lot. I think you would really like my friend. She's really smart, funny and can play a mean game of Street Fighter II. I love you great grandma, always." Then Lincoln kissed the top of picture and then placed it back in its spot on the nightstand.

And then he turned off the lamp and got all comfortable in his bed.

And he did something he hasn't really done in a long time. He grabbed his stuffed rabbit from under his pillow and cuddled it as if he was five years old again. But just before he fully went to sleep, to this day he thought he heard this whispery voice say to him. _**"I love you too Lincoln and I am so proud of you!"**_

It was in that moment; Lincoln knew that his great grandmother was still looking out for him. And that strangely brought him great comfort. _'I wonder if Lucy had an experience like this…'_ Lincoln thought to himself.

So then the snow haired child went to sleep very at peace with everything.

* * *

**(Next time…)**  
"The Queen of Dodgeball Court"

* * *

**Lincoln's playlist:**

"With A Little Help From My Friends" by The Beatles  
"You're My Best Friend" by Queen  
"Love Me Some Walking" by Nigel Godrich  
"I Want To Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles  
"Video Challenge" by Anamanaguchi  
"Middle Management" by Bishop Allen  
**(cover)** "A Hard Day's Night" by Himesh Patel  
"Heaven" by The Walkmen

* * *

**AN #1: One of the things I would like to say is that I actually wanted to do the scene of Lincoln talking about great grandma Harriet in chapter 5, but I completely forgot about it until now that is. So that's why I did it in this chapter. I think it works out pretty well here to be honest.**

**AN#2: Part of the park scene was inspired by the final chapter in Zoink81's story, "Relationship Status".**

**Final AN: I hope to see you all in the next chapter, it's going to be a real dozy.**


	8. The Queen of the Dodgeball Court

***Disclaimer* I do not own The Loud House. All rights reserved.**

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**AN: I know some of you will have mixed feelings after reading about how I depicted Jordan, and I will explain everything at the end of the chapter because it is in fact, a LONG story.**

**And I would like to give a shoutout to: SirRavenMacBeth, Mr. BlankManner and PhantomKightPercival for all the support they've given me especially in the making of this chapter, you guys are the best!**

* * *

**(Date: September 26, 2016)  
(Location: Royal Woods Elementary school)**

**(Gym class)**

It was a dark and stormy day.

Forced to have an inside gym period, ol' Coach Pacowski knew just what to do…and it's to make the kids play dodgeball all period. All you can hear is the sound of thunder and lightning and children's screams of anguish as they get hit with the red rubber ball of death. Yes, dodgeball on a rainy day is considered a bloodbath.

And the one who was most responsible for eliminating players was the dodgeball queen herself.

Jordan Rosato is a character of many traits. But most people know of her because of what kind of monster she turns into right on the dodgeball court. She was merciless, a complete and utter beast. No one has been able to beat her in this game. And those who have tried suffered major consequences.

But there was a certain snow haired child who had a plan…

Last weekend, he acquired a copy of "Super Dodge Ball" for his NES. He saw it as an opportunity to create a strategy to defeat Jordan, once and for all. So Lincoln spent the next couple of days in his room playing the game for as long as possible. Only pausing the game for studying the movement of the sprites and for bathroom breaks. But he felt confident in his gameplan. At the very least, he would give it his best shot.

'_Just remember Lincoln, do not blink. Confuse her by constantly moving around. And wait for the absolute PERFECT moment to strike...'_ the boy thought to himself as he was listening to **Invaders Must Die** by **The Prodigy**. Meanwhile, young Katherine was watching from the bleachers at her friend's unique strategy.

"He's truly is a gamer…" she mutters softly.

On the opposite side of the court, was the dodgeball demon herself. _'If that little dork thinks he can outsmart me, he's got another thing coming. I…never…LOSE!'_ she thought to herself.

After quite some time, it came down to just two players. Lincoln on one side of the court and Jordan on the other. The snow haired child couldn't believe he was the last student standing on his side. Jordan on the other hand, was visibly huffing and puffing like a wild animal. "How…are…you…still…standing?!" she wheezes.

Lincoln couldn't believe his eyes, _'I can't believe it. I actually wore her out'_ he thought to himself. "Looks like you're not so tough after all huh?" he calls out to her very mockingly. Jordan's pupils shrunk to the size of push pins. _'BIG mistake Stinkoln!'_ and then she pushed herself to the absolute limit.

No one, not even the coach was prepared for what happened next.

Jordan was shooting out balls as if she turned her body into a machine gun. Lincoln tried to evade, but they were coming to fast. Constantly getting pelted, he barely could shield himself and one ball hit him square in the face and then felt immense pain in his nose. Jordan then broke the rules and began to walk towards Lincoln while still throwing balls. Coach Pacowski tried to get her to stop, but the queen wouldn't have it. Another ball hit the snow haired child in the head, causing him to fall backwards.  
But it wasn't a gentle fall, it was rather quite painful.

As the girl got closer, the snow haired child saw the fire in her eyes and her snarling teeth.

Jordan was preparing for the final blow; she readied her arm and then launched the ball hitting Lincoln square in the stomach. In the boy's mind, it was like the K.O. sound effect was going off all round him.

Jordan then finally stopped. She looked at her opponent, and then gave an evil smile. "HA! I WIN!" she shouted. "In your face loser, I'm still #1 and don't you forget it!"

It was in that moment, everyone else including the coach noticed that Lincoln wasn't getting up.

Kat and Coach Pacowski rushed over to Lincoln, the lass felt a pulse and he was still breathing. "Ketchum take Loud to the nurse's office now" the coach ordered. Kat didn't need to be told twice; she picked Lincoln up and slung him over shoulder as if she was carrying a wounded warrior away from the battlefield.

Then the coach turned his attention to his "star player", if he could even call her that anymore. "You, me, in Principal Huggins' office now…" he seethed. But Jordan didn't even flinch.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: Principal Huggins' office)**

"I must say Miss Rosato, you really outdone yourself this time" the principal commented.

Then he continued. "According to Coach Pacowski, he told me that you pelted another student repeatedly until he couldn't move." "So what if I did? I'm the best dodgeball player this school's had in years" Jordan snarled, "Besides, it's not like I actually killed him or anything. He'll get over it."

Huggins couldn't believe the amount of crassness in this girl's attitude.

"Miss Rosato if that's your take on this situation; then I'm afraid you leave me no choice. Starting tomorrow you have 3 weeks of in-school suspension and you are banned from your gym class and that is when you will be serving your time under the supervision of your homeroom teacher and you must write an apology letter to Mr. Loud." "What?! That's not fair!" Jordan shouts. "You should've thought of that before you got carried away during the game. And I will be calling your parents." Jordan then sulked for time being.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: Nurse Patti's office)**

"Lincoln…LINCOLN! Please…wake up…"

The snow haired child stirred has he heard a voice call out to him. He fluttered his eyes open and saw Kat looking at him with tears in her eyes. "You're…you're awake. Nurse Patti, he's awake!" she calls out.

"What…what happened? I feel like I was run over by a truck" Lincoln grunts, as he heard ringing in his ears.

Kat was hesitant to answer, but she owed the boy the truth. "Jordan happened. She went full on psychopath just to win a stupid game of dodgeball." The lass explained, "I don't know what's going to happen to her but I don't really care. Whatever punishment Huggins gives her will pale in comparison to what I'll do to her."

Lincoln could understand why Kat was angry. If the positions were reversed, he would be enraged too.

"So Lincoln" Nurse Patti spoke up, "when your friend brought you in here you had a concussion and a broken nose. Now fortunately, I was able to bandage your nose but you will need to keep an eye on it" she instructs. Then the snow haired child thought of something. "Where's my iPod?" he asks. Kat then pulled it out of her pocket and handed it back to him. "I was surprised that it didn't take any damage when you fell" she confesses. "That's why I invested in a durable case" Lincoln explains. Then the nurse spoke up again, "I also tried to all your parents to come pick you up. But I haven't been able to reach them." The snow haired child wasn't too surprised, the restaurant usually has a decent lunch rush and Rita gets pretty tied up at the dental office. But then he had a thought. Lincoln turned to his savior, "Do you think you could call your driver and see if he'd be willing to drive me home?" he asks. "Of course" Kat tells him, "But I will tell Principal Huggins that I will be leaving school with you because there's no way I'm leaving you there all alone." Lincoln was touched by the lass's words. With that settled, the blue haired lass whipped out her phone to make a call.

* * *

**(Scene Change)  
(Location: outside of Royal Woods Elementary)**

After calling Kirby and getting permission from the principal, Lincoln and Kat sat outside with their schoolbags in their laps on the stairs waiting for their ride. It was still rather cloudy but fortunately, it did stop raining. For a split second, Lincoln swore that he saw a rainbow over the horizon.

But then, a familiar black car rolled up to the school.

The kids got up and walked over to the car and climbed into the backseat. "Everyone all situated?" Kirby asks, both Lincoln and Kat nod as their answer. "Alright then. Next stop, the Loud house" he declared.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Scene Change)  
(Location: the Loud house, Lincoln's bedroom)**

After getting dropped off, the kids wasted no time getting inside.

Lincoln and Kat got situated on the couch and they decided to watch a little TV to take some of the edge off. They settled on a channel that was showing a Looney Tunes marathon. As they watched the cartoon characters blow each other up, young Kathrine grew some rather dark thoughts.

'_If only I could hand Jordan a lit stick of dynamite…'_

Lincoln sensed that Kat was plotting some kind of revenge scheme. "She's not worth it" he tells her. Kat looks over to Lincoln. "She's not worth getting in trouble over. I'd hate to see you get suspended or even expelled for retaliating. And something tells me she'll get what's coming to her some way or another."

"You're WAY too nice for your own good some days Lincoln Loud…" the blue haired lass mutters, but was heard anyway. "But you must admit, it's one of things you like about me" he tells her. Then all of a sudden, Lincoln's phone began to vibrate like crazy.

He pulls it out of his back pocket to reveal 11 new text messages all from the family.

**Lori: "OMG ARE YOU ALRIGHT? WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?"  
Leni: "Linky…please text me back…"  
Luna: "Sam's little bro Simon said a white haired kid got seriously hurt during a game in gym class…please tell me that you are at least okay?"  
Luan: "There's no amount of jokes or puns that can make me feel less scared right now! Call me!"  
Lynn: "WHO DID THIS?! I WANT NAMES!"**

Then he read the messages from his younger sisters.

**Lucy: "The spirits have informed me of the disturbance."  
Lana: "BIG BROTHER, PLEASE BE ALRIGHT!"  
Lola: "Just say the word and I'll have this monster's head on a stick!"  
Lisa: "I'm not usually good with these types of feelings…but please by okay Lincoln."**

Then he read the messages from his parents.

**Mom: "Sweetie, I'm getting a ride from Dr. Feinstein. I'll be home soon. I love you so much!"  
Dad: "Son, Kotaro's watching over the restaurant while he lets me borrow his car. I'll be home as fast I can."**

After finishing reading all the messages from his family, Lincoln sent a message out all that said:

"**I appreciate all of your concern, I'm doing better. Kat's chauffeur gave us a ride here. So we're just chilling in my room for the time being. Before you all ask, she insisted on looking after me and I couldn't say no."**

Young Katherine was looking over the snow haired child's shoulder as he was sending a message to his family, which made her think that she should do the same thing and inform her parents.

Her message read:

"**I don't think I'll be coming home tonight. There was an incident at school and Lincoln was seriously left injured. I'm currently sitting with him at his house since his parents and sisters aren't home yet. I might ask Kirby if he could bring my overnight bag. I know that its last minute, but I just don't feel comfortable leaving Lincoln alone. I hope you can understand."**

Lincoln's stomach began to growl, as did Kat's. The two looked very sheepishly at each other. Then they dug into their bags to get their lunches. Might as well not let it go to waste. Lincoln's lunch consisted of a peanut butter and sauerkraut sandwich, a bag of potato chips and a bottle of milk. Kat's lunch consisted of a deli meat sandwich, a bag of carrot sticks and a bottle of flavored water.

* * *

**(Meanwhile…)**

* * *

**(Scene Change)  
(Location: Jordan's house)**

Needless to say, things went from bad to worse for Jordan.

When she got home from school, she received quite an earful from her parents. To make a long story short, they were deeply disappointed in their daughter's actions. And on top of her in-school suspension, they grounded her for just as long. So after receiving another punishment, the self-proclaimed dodgeball queen ran to her room slammed it shut and jumped on her bed and grabbed a pillow and let out an angry scream.

After several minutes, she removed the pillow. "Stupid Loud…" she mutters under her breath, "He should've been taken out a lot sooner, but NOOO. Now thanks to the little runt, I'm grounded and have to spend my gym periods with Mrs. Johnson and on top of that Huggins expects me to write an apology letter!"

But then Jordan got an idea, a really awful and terrible idea.

She hopped off her bed and walked over to her desk and then pulled out a pen and a piece of paper. She let out a villainous chuckle, "Soon Lincoln Loud you'll learn the hard way that you don't mess with Jordan Rosato!" She then let out a mad cackle as she scribbled viciously on the sheet of paper.

* * *

**(Now back to Lincoln and Kat)**

* * *

**(Scene Change)  
(Location: the Loud house)**

After finishing their lunches, Lincoln and Kat went back to watching TV.

Soon after, the kids heard noises coming from outside and then the noises became more pronounced as it moved to the inside of the house. Then the kids felt the ground slightly shake. Kat was slightly concerned, but then she looked at Lincoln who was spotting a look that said he's been through this before.

Then the door upstairs burst open and then all 10 Loud sisters charged down the stairs like a stampede.

As the sisters reached their brother's room, they began to bombard the snow haired child with questions. "Are you okay?!" "Do you still have symptoms of a concussion?!" "I still want names!" Lincoln was feeling very uneasy by the amount of questions being thrown at him at once; Kat notices this and decides to be brave. She took a deep breath, "QUIET!" she shouts out. And then all noises ceased.

Then all of a sudden, young Katherine felt very small.

But then spoke up again, "I know you're all concerned. But you can't just bombard him with questions." The sisters knew the blue haired lass had a point. The sisters now felt embarrassed especially Lori.

"I'll tell you what I can remember" Lincoln spoke up, "It all happened during a game of dodgeball in gym class. I somehow ended up being the last person standing on my side of the court, but my opponent was Jordan Rosato. She's considered to be the school's best dodgeball player. I just kept dodging every ball she threw; I eventually tired her out. But then I don't what came over me, but I taunted her and then that's when she snapped. She just kept throwing and then that's when I got pelted. She hit me right on the head and also broke my nose. And then that's when I blacked out. When I woke up, I found myself in the nurse's office."

As the girls listened to their brother's story, their anger began to rise towards this Jordan punk.

Lincoln continued, "Then the nurse recommended that I should go home for the rest of the day. Kat tagged along because she didn't want me to be alone here without anyone else to look after me." The sisters then turned to the lass in question who gave a sheepish smile in return. Lori then walked up to her and placed a hand on shoulder and then that quickly turned into a tight hug. "Thank you for looking out for him." Lori whispers into Kat's ear. "Of course, he's my best friend" she whispers back to the oldest sister.

Then Lori released herself from the lass and then turned to the other sister and mouthed to them, "Emergency meeting now!" the sisters got the message and then raced back upstairs. Then she turned back to the kids. "Lincoln, would it be okay if we borrowed Kat for awhile? We have some things that we would like to discuss with her" Lori requested. Lincoln secretly knew the reason why, but decided to humor her and say yes. Kat was slightly hesitant to leave Lincoln, but the snow haired child reassured her that he'll be fine.

Despite her better judgment, she went along with Lori up the stairs.

* * *

**(Scene Change)  
(Location: Lori and Leni's room)**

As all the sisters plus Kat got situated on the two available beds and any other seats, Lori stepped up to the podium in the corner and then banged on it with her gavel. "I call this emergency Loud sister meeting to order" she formally announces, "We are here right now because someone on the outside has committed a terrible atrocity to one of our own. I know some of you must have some thoughts-"

"I say we find her and destroy her!" Lynn shouts out and then all the other sisters began to shout out their statements. Lori banged on her gavel, "SILENCE!" she shouted which effectively got the others to shut up.

Lori let a huff in exasperation before addressing the room once more, "I understand we all have our thoughts and opinions of how to handle this situation but we need to keep order. Lynn, you have the floor but try to keep calm." The athletic sister then approached the floor. She clears her throat; "Okay, maybe I overreacted by saying we should 'destroy her'. But there's no freaking way I'm just letting this slide. This girl sounds like the type that believes in her own hype and that no one should be better than her. All of you know that I absolutely HATE people like that! And Lincoln sure as hell doesn't deserve this, and it sounds to me that this punk knew what she was doing but didn't give a crap and that's really pissing me off" Lynn finishes.

Then the athletic sister went back to her spot. "Thank you for sharing Lynn" Lori commended her. "Is there anyone else that wants to share?" she asks the floor. Surprising everyone, Leni stepped up.

The fashionista calmly takes the floor and clears her throat and began to speak, "LET'S MAKE THIS LITTLE WITCH SUFFER FOR HURTING OUR LINKY! I SAY WE TIE HER ARMS AND LEGS TO THE BACK OF LOLA'S JEEP SO THAT SHE DRAGS THE WRENCH ACROSS TOWN WHILE HER PRETTY LITTLE FACE TASTES THE ASPHALT WHILE WE RUIN EVERY INCH OF CLOTHING SHE OWNS. THEN WE TAKE TURNS BEATING EVERY INCH OF HER LIFE TIL SHE APOLOGIZES TO LINKY!" She took quick deep breaths as her siblings and Kat look at her very scared and shock over what she said. "Or you know, just give her a good talking to…" she sheepishly says while blushing. And then she goes back to her spot with her head down.

'_Note to self, never piss off Leni…'_ the other sisters and Kat collectively thought.

Lori clears her throat, "Anyone else have anything to share" she hesitantly asks. Then Luan steps up to the floor. The comedian clears her throat and began to speak, "I say we go for a more trickery route" then she pulls out her magician's kit from behind her back, "like say make her literally, disappear!" she finishes with a slight scowl. The other sisters and Kat gulped because they didn't know if she was serious or not.

Then Lori replied with, "No Luan. That's illegal." She then look around and asked for anyone else for suggestions. The next suggestions came from Lana and Lola respectively.

Lana suggested filling Jordan's locker with garbage so that seagulls and raccoons would be attracted to it and rip Jordan to shreds. Lola suggested spreading a really ugly rumor about Jordan to the point where she would be afraid to leave her house. Then Luna took her turn by suggesting creating a hate-rock themed music video all about expressing her hatred of Jordan. After her, Lisa suggested that she could trap Jordan in a dodgeball shaped prison to make sure she could never harm anyone ever again. Then Lucy took the floor by suggesting performing a black magic ritual that would turn Jordan into an actual rubber dodgeball but then remembers that she would also need to obtain Jordan's big toenail to perform the ritual correctly.

Now it was Lori's turn to give her opinion on the situation. She clears her throat, "As much as I agree and want to take action into our own hands we simply can't. But I do like the sound of Leni's backup plan. It's simple and dignified, not to mention legal." Then she looks to the non-Loud member of this meeting.

She appeared to be lost in her own thoughts.

"Kat" Lori spoke up in an attempt of gaining the child in question's attention. The blue haired lass snapped back into reality and looked up to the oldest Loud sister. Lori continues, "You've been awfully quiet. Do you have anything you want to add?" The lass was in a bind. She has one idea, but then she remembers her conversation with Lincoln. Kat sighs, "I think we should do nothing." The other girls gasp in shock.

"I make a promise to Lincoln that I wouldn't retaliate" the lass confesses, "He told me that she's not worth it. And he didn't want me to risk getting suspended or even get kicked out of school for getting back at her."

'_That sounds Lincoln alright'_ the Loud sisters collectively thought.

"All in favor of Kat's idea please raise your hand" Lori reluctantly announces, and everyone's hands were up in the air albeit reluctant as well. "It's settled" Lori spoke, "We do nothing until further notice. I declare this meeting, dismissed" she bangs on her gavel to make it official.

* * *

**(Meanwhile…)**

As the Loud sisters and Kat wrapped up their little meeting, we find Lincoln still in his room with Rita and Lynn Sr explaining the incident. The parents were shocked and appalled at the details of Jordan's behavior.

The snow haired child sighed, "I dunno, maybe in hindsight I deserved it because I did taunt her to begin with." "You're wrong" a voice called out to Lincoln. The boy looked up and saw a very concerned Kat and his sisters following suit. The blue haired lass walked closer to the Loud boy and placed her hands on his shoulders. "First off, nothing you could ever say would justify a beating like that ever ! Second of all I NEVER want to hear that you deserve to be pelted with dodgeballs again. No one deserves that, and Jordan is just a creep that can't take losing a stupid game like a normal person." Kat was slowly breaking down, "I was scared to see you unconscious, I…thought you wouldn't come back…but you did" And now she's fighting tears, "I care about you too much to let you go that easy." It was at this point Kat's tears were soaking Lincoln's clothes but he did not care. "Hey, look at me" he told her. "It's going to take a lot more than a pile of rubber balls to take me out." He explains. Kat sniffles, "Promise?" she whimpers. Lincoln smiles, "Promise."

"Awww" the sisters and parents cooed.

It was in that moment, the kids let go of each other and blushed madly. Just then, Kat felt her phone vibrating in her coat pocket. She pulls it out and reads a message from her mom saying that it's okay for her to spend the night to help keep an eye on Lincoln. And her mom also mentioned that Kirby should be arriving any minute to drop off her overnight bag. And she also requested to give Lincoln a hug for her.

_**HONK-HONK!**_

"Excuse me for one moment, I think that's for me" Kat spoke. And then the blue haired lass zoomed outside at neck breaking speed to pick up her overnight bag. And in no time she returned with her bag in hand and still at neck breaking speed. "It's like me and the Roadrunner combined" Lynn muttered to herself.

Young Katherine then looked over to the Loud parents. "Uh, I know it seems short notice but-" "Yes it's okay with us that you spend the night here." Rita and Lynn Sr spoke in unison. Kat then at that point, breathed a sigh of relief. Then the patriarch clapped his hands together, "So now I think it's a good time to start dinner."

After saying that; Lincoln, Kat, the sisters and Rita's stomachs growled in anticipation.

* * *

**(Dinnertime)**

Sometime later, the Loud family and young Katherine sat down for a nice home cooked dinner. And to help cheer Lincoln up, Lynn Sr made him a special plate of stuffed mac & cheese bites.

The snow haired child of course shared some with his guest.

And the blue haired lass once again had a religious experience with Lynn Sr's home cooking. "I really need ask my parents if you could cater any upcoming event they might be hosting" the lass tells the Loud father.

The patriarch chuckled, and said that he'd be honored to be their caterer.

* * *

After dinner, Lincoln and Kat returned to the former's bedroom to play some video games before bed.

As a joke, the snow haired child suggested a round of Super Dodgeball but then changed his mind when he saw the sour look on the blue haired lass' face. So then he suggested a round of the original Sonic the Hedgehog on his Sega Genesis. That was taken a lot better than the first idea.

After Sonic, they played some Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo and then played some Mega Man 2 on the NES. Afterwards, the kids saw that it was getting late and decided to get ready for bed.

* * *

**(Later that night…)**

All through the Loud house, it seemed like not a creature was stirring, except for a Kat. We find the little lass in question tossing and turning on the pull-out couch in the snow haired child's bedroom.

* * *

**(Enter dream sequence)**

_Kat was standing in the school's gymnasium; it was completely dark until a lone light was turned on. It revealed Lincoln with disheveled hair and tattered clothing and he was bounded by chains. The blue haired lass was horrified. But then she heard footsteps. As the footsteps got closer, the person was revealed to be Jordan. Kat immediately felt rage at the sight of her. She tried to free Lincoln, but couldn't move her legs._

_But then something else happened._

_Jordan began to grow at frightening rate. She skin began to turn into a demonic shade of red, gained muscles of monstrous proportions. As the growing stopped, she let out a thunderous roar that shook the ground. Then the demonic Jordan walked closer to the chained up Lincoln. As she stood in front of the boy, she snapped her finger and then a fiery red sphere appeared at the palm of her hand. Then she turned to the petrified blue haired lass. __**"You can't protect him forever."**__ The demonic Jordan spoke. And then she turned her attention back to Lincoln and then reeled her arms back, and then slammed the fiery sphere right on the snow haired child's head._

_Lincoln immediately burst into flames. All Kat could do was scream at this horrifying sight._

**(End of dream sequence)**

* * *

Then young Kathrine woke up in a cold sweat and gasping for air. She then looked over to the snow haired child so was sleeping very peacefully. Kat was breathing heavily, _'It was just a dream...a really, horrible nightmare...I...think I need a drink of water.'_ she thought to herself.

So the blue haired lass quietly got off the bed and sneaked away upstairs.

* * *

As she made it to the kitchen, she noticed Lori clad in her pajamas and bathrobe making a warm glass of milk. The oldest sister looked up. "Couldn't sleep either?" she asks the little lass. Kat nods in confirmation. "I had a really bad dream" the blue haired lass admits. This peaked Lori's curiosity. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asks with caution. Kat sighs; she relayed the nightmare in full detail.

Needless to say Lori was completely horrified.

Out of pure instinct, she wraps Kat in a hug like she would when any of her other siblings come to her after telling her about their nightmares. It was at that point young Katherine began to tear up. "The part that scares me the most is when she told me that I couldn't protect Lincoln forever" she blubbers.

"Shhh, its okay" Lori tells Kat while rubbing circles on her back to calm her down.

"Do you want me to make you a warm glass of milk?" the eldest sister offers. "Yes please…" the blue haired lass whimpers. The Lori get go of the girl and went to make another glass. After a few minutes, Lori placed Kat's glass on the table and the girl sipped it since it was still hot. Afterwards, she wiped her mouth of her milk-stache. "Thank you for the milk, I feel a little better" Kat tells Lori, the eldest sister smiles.

"Do you want me to walk you back downstairs?" Lori offers.

Kat didn't want to impose, but then Lori continued. "It's okay if you want to say yes. I've done this with all my other siblings especially Lincoln. You have nothing to be embarrassed about." "If it's really okay then…" Kat then took Lori's hand, and then the two headed down the stairs to reach the basement.

As they made it back down Kat walked over back to the pull-out couch and got herself situated/comfortable again. And then Lori walked over to tuck young Katherine in, as if she's tucking in one of the younger sisters. The blue haired lass wasn't against it, the warm milk was kicking in and making her very sleepy.

"If you ever need someone to talk to, don't hesitate to come to me" Lori whispers as not to wake Lincoln. Kat nods in understanding. "Goodnight Kat" Lori whispers, "Goodnight Lori" Kat whispers back. Then the lass drifted off to sleep. Lori smiles, she then leans down and kisses her forehead just like she would do for her other sisters and Lincoln. With that, the eldest sister went back up the stairs and up to her room in hopes of getting back to sleep. _'I hope things will look better in the morning'_ Lori thought to herself.

* * *

**(The next day)  
(Location: Royal Woods Elementary school)**

"You and Lori have a gift for getting everyone organized so early in the morning" Kat yawned.

"Yeah, kind of have to since she does drop offs for here, the middle school and then the high school" Lincoln explains while letting a yawn of his own. As they made it to their lockers, the snowed haired child noticed something taped to his. _'I wonder what this is…'_ Lincoln thought to himself.

He peels off the mysterious note and begins to read it.

_**Dear Stinkoln,**_

_**Thanks to you I am serving a three week in-school suspension and banned from the gymnasium and my parents also grounded me for the same amount of time. So since this is actually your fault, I'm taking you down with me. For the next three weeks, I will be making your life a living nightmare.**_

_**Sincerely yours, Jordan Rosato**_

Lincoln's face turned completely white as soon as he finished reading the note.

This made young Katherine concerned; she took the note from the boy's hands and read it for herself. As she read it, her blood began to boil. She was seeing red. _'How…dare…she…'_ The lass thought to herself.

And true to Jordan's letter, the braided lass was not holding back.

* * *

During homeroom, Jordan somehow managed to tie the snow haired child's shoes together without him noticing. So when he had to get up, he tripped and fell. And all of his classmates except for Kat laughed at him. And Jordan was in the back of the crowd smirking at her handiwork. _'But I'm only getting started'_ she thought.

* * *

During gym class, Jordan sneaked into the boys' locker room and stole all of Lincoln's clothing and hid them in the girls' locker room. Fortunately for the snow haired child, Kat found the clothes and returned them to him.

* * *

During lunch, Lincoln and Kat decided to eat their meals inside the cafeteria for a change. But by doing so, Jordan walked passed them and shoved various amounts of food down the snow haired child's pants.

* * *

As Lincoln and Kat walked to art class, the snow haired child had to grab something from his locker. As he put in the combination and opened the door, down came an avalanche of rancid garbage rained down on him. Once again, students minus the blue haired lass laughed and whipped out their phones to take pictures.

* * *

**(After school) **

_**BBBRRRIIINNNGGG**_

To say Lincoln was having a bad day would be a massive understatement. After reading Jordan's declaration of war so to speak, to the slew of bad pranks, to the laughter from the student body because of said pranks.

Not wanting to be smothered, Lincoln called Lori and told her that he was walking home telling that he needed to clear his head. The oldest sister understood since she found out about the pranks through social media. So then the kids decided to take the scenic route. As they walked around, they found themselves in front of the park. As they walked passed all the happy children, Lincoln found himself walking towards the swing set. After sitting down, the snow haired child found himself swinging back and forth.

Kat decided to swing next to Lincoln.

"Do you think if I tried talking to Jordan in person she would stop?" Lincoln asked. "Hard to say" Kat admits, "She's not exactly the kind to back down easily." Lincoln weighed his options. Either he confronts her, or continues to take her abuse. And even then, it's not a full guarantee that she'll stop picking on him when her punishments from the school and her parents end. The snow haired child was in a lose-lose situation.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Scene Change)  
(Location: the Loud house, Lincoln's bedroom)**

For days like this, the snow haired child turns on his Sega to play a few rounds of Mortal Kombat.

Normally Kat would be okay with playing a game like this, but she knew that this is what she considers a "stress reliever". She does the same thing with Street Fighter occasionally on her Playstation at her home.

And judging from Lincoln's merciless tactics, he really needs to work out the bad day he had today. Not that she blames him. In fact, she's pretending that Lincoln's opponents have Jordan's head and she slightly smiles when she see's Lincoln's character tearing the opponents a new one. Then the lass had a thought.

But she needed a second opinion, or maybe 10.

* * *

**(Scene Change)  
(Location: Lori and Leni's room)**

It was rather calm, Lori was on her bed reading a magazine and Leni was at her sewing table working on some new sketches. Until they heard a knock on their door. "Like, who is it?" Leni asks. "It's me" Kat calls out, "Can I come in?" she asks. "Of course" Lori calls out to her. The blue haired lass then opened the door and walked inside. Then the blue haired lass turned to the fashionista, "Could you get the other sisters? I have something to share with all of you." Leni nodded. Then Kat turned to Lori, "I know it's not my place but all of you should see this." Lori grew concerned with Kat's explanation. Just then, Leni came back with the others.

Then Kat asks if someone could close the door so no one could listen in. Lynn fulfilled the request. "So, what is it you wanted to share?" Lori asked. Kat dug into her coat pocket, and pulled out Jordan's note and handed it over to the oldest Loud sister. As Lori read the note, she felt her blood boiling.

"That miserable little witch…" she seethed.

Now the other sisters were curious to know what was on the note. Lori then passed the note to each sister. And one by one, each sister felt instant rage. Kat then went on to explain each one of Jordan's revenge pranks, and that added more fuel to the fire within each sister. "So what's the plan now?" Lynn asks with curiosity.

"Now, we're gonna do something" Kat confesses.

All of the sisters smiled at the possibility of retaliating. The blue haired lass motioned for the sisters to come closer to discuss her plan. As they huddled together, they listened to Kat's brilliant plan.

Kat hated doing this behind Lincoln's back. But when people play dirty, sometimes you have play dirty back.

* * *

**(The next day…)  
(Location: Royal Woods Elementary school)**

We find the self proclaimed "Dodgeball Queen" walking down the hallway to her own locker.

She deviously smiled to herself as she was thinking of new ways to mess with Lincoln. As she made it to her locker, the braided lass noticed a note taped on it. Curious, she pulls off the note and begins to read it.

**It's time we settled this, once and for all. Meet me in the gym ASAP.**

**Signed, L. Loud**

Jordan then chuckled, "Okay little chicken, but prepare to feel my wrath…"

* * *

**(Scene Change)  
(Location: the gymnasium)**

Jordan made her way to the gym but noticed "Lincoln" wasn't here. "Alright I'm here loser, show yourself!" she calls out. She then heard footsteps coming from behind. Turning around, she finds not Lincoln but Kat instead and she was holding a ball. "Oh wow, Stinkoln sent you?! Pathetic" she cackled.

The blue haired lass scowled, and then she snapped her fingers.

And then the doors opened up to reveal angry classmates, all of them holding a ball just like Kat's. Then the students rallied behind the blue haired lass like soldiers getting behind their sergeant. It was at this point Jordan was growing nervous. "Your reign of terror is over Rosato." Kat called out. Then she and the other classmates readied their arms with the red rubber balls. Then the unthinkable happened.

"BOMBARDMENT!" Kat yelled with all her might.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lincoln was walking down the hallway thinking of ways to settle things with Jordan peacefully.

As he was walking passed the doors that lead to the gym, he senses a lot of noises coming from the other side. His curiosity got the better of him, and he opened the door. What he saw shocked him to the core.

The sight in question, was Kat leading the gym class into a full scale dodgeball bombardment on Jordan. Lincoln winced as he saw Jordan getting pelted one ball after another. But that wasn't the scariest part. That would be Kat walking closer to Jordan madly pelting her with dodgeballs. The blue haired lass even managed to give her a black eye in the process. This was too much for Lincoln, he had to put a stop to this.

He rushed over to the fallen Jordan and shielded her from more harm. "STOP!" the snow haired child shouted with all of his might. Much to his surprise, they all listened including Kat. The snow haired child looked behind him and saw a very battered and bruised Jordan. This made Lincoln's compassionate side take over, he then turned back to Kat and the other students. "I'll talk to you later" he tells Kat, then focuses on the others. "This ends now. She's suffered enough" he tells the students.

Then he fully turned around to face Jordan.

"Come on, let's take you to the nurse's office" Lincoln tells her, even offering his hand to help her get back up. At first she was hesitant thinking that this was another set up, but then she looked at Lincoln's blue eyes and saw no signs of dishonesty. She then takes Lincoln's hand and then the two walked to the nurse's office.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: Nurse Patti's office)**

Fortunately for Jordan; Lincoln had plenty of experience of treating wounds, scrapes and bruises. Especially considering the types of activities Lynn and Lana enjoyed doing. "I am so sorry, I had no idea Kat was planning this" Lincoln explained. But Jordan remained quiet, which made the snow haired child concerned. "Is this how you felt?" Jordan spoke up, "When I attacked you, did you feel sheer pain?" Lincoln told her yes, seeing no reason to lie to her. The braided lass winced. "I, have been a real creep. Haven't I?" she asks Lincoln. The boy frowned, "Yeah. You have. But it's not too late." This made Jordan curious.

"You can still make things right. But first, I need to get someone real quick."

**(a few minutes later…)**

Lincoln came back with an extremely reluctant Kat behind him and then instructed her to take a seat. "Now" the snow haired child started, "I think there was more to this bombardment than just defending me. So Kat I need you to be honest with me." The lass in question sighed with defeat. Then she looked straight to Jordan, "You probably don't remember but when I was 7 I spent a day at the YMCA and there was this game of dodgeball going on. Anyone was allowed to play so I thought it could be fun and it was, until I saw you."

Jordan gulped.

Kat continued, "You were like the Terminator. Just shooting balls left and right, and then one of them hit me square in the fore head" she then lifted her hair to reveal a oval shaped red splotch. "I still have the bruise you gave me. The worst part was you never came to me and said you were sorry. And then when you went out of your way to attack Lincoln I snapped. So I got the other students from our gym class and it turned out they were sick of your abuse too. I wanted to stop you from hurting anyone else all because you don't think you should lose." Kat finished with venom laced into that last sentence.

The realization hit Jordan like a ton of bricks, she was a monster. A complete and utter monster.

She couldn't take it anymore, she broke down crying. Lincoln tried to calm her down, but nothing worked. But then the braided lass lunged herself onto the snow haired child. "I'm…so…sorry…" she blubbered incoherently but Lincoln understood. "It's okay, I forgive you" he told her. This shocked both Jordan and Kat. The braided lass looked straight at Lincoln. "How? How can you forgive me so easily after everything I did to you?!" she sniffled. The snow haired child smiled, "Because life's not worth living if all you do is burden yourself with grudges." _'Truly wise beyond his years…'_ Kat thought to herself.

Jordan on the other hand, felt like she didn't deserve forgiveness. She treated Lincoln like crap these last few days, gave Kat a permanent scar and then there's every other student that she showed no mercy to. "Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" she asks the snow haired child. "How about starting with learning how to control yourself when it comes to dodgeball" Lincoln stated. "My sister Lynn always tells me no game's worth playing is all your focus is winning especially for the wrong reason." Jordan was taking actual notes.

Lincoln continued, "And even though I do forgive you I can't speak for Kat or the rest of the student body. And you also need to know that it'll be a long time before anyone can trust you again, including myself."

Sadly, Jordan understood that she just can't simply fix this in one day.

"But I have an offer for you" Lincoln spoke. This made the braided lass curious. "I can see that you genuinely don't want to be the kind of person that people fear. So, I want to offer my friendship." This made Jordan's jaw drop. The snow haired child continued. "I can help you become a better person, that is if want to accept my help." It was at this point, Jordan frantically said that yes she accepts Lincoln's offer.

Lincoln then stuck out hand, "Friends?" he asks Jordan. She smiles, "Friends" she answers while shaking the boy's hand. Then the braided lass turned her attention to the other person in the room. "Kat, I know that you have your own reasons for not liking me. But I would like an opportunity to have a fresh start between us."

The blue haired lass in question was thinking. A little voice in her head told her to say no. But a much bigger voice was telling her that if Lincoln can forgive Jordan, than why can't she? In the end, the bigger voice won.

The she walked up to Jordan and Lincoln, "I would like that" Kat spoke with sincerity.

Jordan couldn't hold it in any longer, she gave Kat a very big hug which surprised the blue haired lass but accepted whole heartedly. Lincoln smiled at this sight, _'I think things will be looking up from here'_ he thought.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Lunchtime)**

Word spread pretty quickly about Jordan. And just as she thought, no one wanted anything to do with her. When she walked pass lunch tables, the kids would give her dirty looks. Not that she could blame them.

Like Lincoln said, it will take some time to gain trust back.

"Hey Jordan over here!" a voice called out to her. The braided lass looked over and saw Lincoln and Kat waving at her. She smiled, _'At least I know who my friends are now'_ she thought to herself. She walked over to their table and sat next to Kat and then she was filled in on their discussion. For the first time in a long time, Jordan felt happy. She felt like she could be open and real with Lincoln and Kat.

And it was in that moment, the duo was happily turned into a trio.

* * *

**(Next time…) **  
"Left in the Dark"

* * *

**Lincoln's playlist:**

"Rain" by The Beatles  
"Invaders Must Die" by The Prodigy  
"Long Winter" by Cuff the Duke  
"Sleazy Bed Track" by The Bluetones  
"Highway to Hell" by AC/DC  
"Bad Day" by Daniel Powter  
"Fight!" by Nigel Godrich  
"O Tannenbaum" by Vince Guaraldi Trio  
"It's Never Too Late" by Steppenwolf

* * *

**AN: So here's the thing. When I first thought of this project, I wanted Jordan to be part of this from the get go. But I didn't want her to be like her canon counterpart. So I decided to experiment, I actually came up with a lot of different concepts and personalities before finally settling. I know a lot of you might think that I made Jordan too unlikable from the beginning but the thing is, sometimes the beginnings of friendships aren't all sunshine's and roses. And she DID eventually learn her lesson. But I can't say that she'll be perfect from here on out. Sometimes for proper character growth you need to make a lot of mistakes, that's just a part of growing up. I think we all can relate to that in some form or another. And I know some of you will be shocked due to how I've been an avid "Jordancoln" fan in the past. The thing is though; I'm not as big of a shipper about it as I once was. And I just wanted to see a story that depicts Jordan as a flawed character or better yet an anti-hero. Someone that is capable of doing the right thing, but does it their own way instead of what's expected from them.**


	9. Left in the Dark

***Disclaimer* I do not own The Loud House.**

* * *

**AN: Welcome to the first episode rewrite of this fanfic. And what better one to start with than the very first LH episode.**

* * *

**(Recap)**

The next three weeks were a real eye opener for Jordan.

She decided to use her in-school suspension and grounding as a starting point to re-evaluate herself. And while she was serving her first punishment, she took the time to write a sincere apology letter to Lincoln. She even wrote one for Kat because she still felt guilty for what she did to her when they were younger and never properly apologized for it until now. In a way, the braided lass thought being banned from the gym was a blessing in disguise. She was afraid of slipping back into bad habits, and Lincoln and Kat couldn't blame her.

But to keep herself occupied, Jordan found an interest in Biology. She liked reading about all the different kinds of living animals and their traits. She also spent her lunch period getting to know Lincoln and Kat better. Even though Jordan was feeling better, she knew deep down that she still had a long way to go.

And Lincoln and Kat's generosity didn't stop there.

Around the beginning of the second week and after doing a little convincing on their part, the duo was allowed to visit Jordan at her house. And during that time; the three of them would do homework, talk and would even play a few video games. But unlike Lincoln and Kat who are inclusive gamers, Jordan specializes in fighting games. Games like the Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat franchises, the Virtua Fighter series, Samurai Showdown from SNK, the Streets of Rage series and strangely enough Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!.

But then came the day Jordan was officially done with her in-school suspension and her grounding. To celebrate, Lincoln and Kat treated the braided lass to an afternoon at Gus' Games 'n' Grub.

And Lincoln had one more surprise up his sleeve, and that's where we currently are in the story.

* * *

**(Date: October 10, 2016)  
(Location: the Loud house, Lincoln's room)  
(Evening)**

We find our favorite snow haired child giving his abode a quick dusting before his guests arrive. Now normally Lincoln wouldn't be sweating little things like this, but this isn't exactly a simple little get together.

He invited both Kat and Jordan over for a movie marathon as part of celebrating her finishing her punishment from the school and her grounding. But, he kind of didn't tell his sisters that Jordan was coming over. Lincoln felt awful about hiding this from them but he knew for a fact that Jordan was still on their s**t list.

And he just wanted to prolong it for as long as he can.

Just then he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Lincoln turns around to find Lori holding two large bowls of popcorn. "Thank you for helping me" the snow haired child thanked his big sister.

"No problem little brother" Lori replied as she placed the bowls on the coffee table. Then she noticed how much cleaning Lincoln has done. "Lincoln, are you feeling nervous?" Lori asks with a hint of concern. "Nervous, wh-who's nervous? Certainly not I." Lincoln answers while visibly sweating.

Lori however, could see right through it.

"Lincoln is there something you want to tell me?" she asks with a slight and knowing tone. The snow haired child sighs in defeat. He knew he couldn't keep it up; he had to tell the truth. "Actually, there's something that I forgot to tell you. It's not just Kat coming over; we also invited a new friend we both made." This made Lori curious and then asked who this mystery person was. Lincoln at that moment decided to rip the band-aid off.

* * *

**(Meanwhile…)**

* * *

We tune in with young Kathrine and Jordan walking down the street to Lincoln's house when all of a sudden, they felt the ground bellow them shaking followed by someone shouting out _**"WHAT?!" **_After the ground stopped shaking, the girls took a moment to collect themselves. "I have a sneaky suspicion that Lincoln told someone that I was not the only one coming to the movie marathon" Kat commented.

It was at this point that Jordan started to feel scared.

She knew that going to Lincoln's house would be a risk since Lincoln filled her in on the fact that his sisters more or less want her head on a stick. Jordan then took a deep breath and sighed, "Do…do you think that they could forgive me like Lincoln did?" she asks her blue haired friend. Kat sighs, "As long as you know that you are trying and Lincoln knows that you are trying, then that will have to be good enough. If they refuse to forgive you all together, than that is on them" she says to her braided friend.

Jordan took Kat's words to heart but at the same time, she really wants to make a good impression on the Loud sisters. Especially since they only know her for doing their one and only brother wrong.

After walking just a little longer, Jordan and Kat ended up right at the front door to the Loud house.

Kat who decided to be the brave one got up the courage to ring the doorbell. Afterwards, the door opened revealed Lori with a blank/poker face. Jordan silently gulped with fear. Kat on the other hand, was a little more vocal. "Hey Lori, can we come in?" she asks. The oldest Loud sister silently nodded and ushered in the two girls. Jordan took a moment to look around since this was her first time in Lincoln's house.

"Kat, could you go downstairs? Lincoln is waiting for you. But I would like to talk to Jordan, alone" Lori requested. The blue haired lass in question ran down the stairs. _'Coward…'_ Jordan thought.

Then she turned to Lori was still sporting a poker face. "Come with me, the others are waiting upstairs" the oldest sister explains rather curtly. Jordan gulped with fear but complied with Lori's request as she was in their eyes, on thin ice as it is. While this was happening, Kat sneaked back upstairs and witnessed Lori taking Jordan upstairs to presumably meet the other sisters. The blue haired lass sighs _'Go easy on her Lori, she's not that kind of person anymore…'_ she thought to herself. And then she goes back down downstairs.

* * *

**(Lori and Leni's room)**

We find Jordan standing in the middle of the bedroom while the Loud sisters minus Lori sat in various place almost in a circle while the oldest sister is walking in literal circles around the braided lass. One could cut this tension with a steak knife, but even then it might not be effective. "So…" Lori drawled out, "We meet at last." She told the braided lass who was literally shaking like a leaf and dripping sweat from her forehead. She could feel her heart beat racing as Lori walked around her like a hungry shark.

And then her mind started to go down a rabbit hole of dark thoughts.

**-Enter: Fantasy Sequence-**

_The bedroom turned into a courtroom and Lori tuned into a very angry looking judge and Leni, Luna, Luan, Lynn, Lola, Lana, Lisa and Lily were in the jury stand. And Lynn was dressed as an executioner._

"_Has the jury reached a verdict?" Judge Lori bellowed to the other sisters, "GULITY!" they shouted._

_Then Judge Lori turned back to the guilty braided lass. "Jordan Rosato, you are found guilty on all charges. I sentence you to…DEATH!" she bellows as she slams on her gavel. And then Lynn the executioner roughly grabs Jordan and brings her to her guillotine and places her down where her head will presumably will be chopped off._

_While this was happening, Luna was playing a rather ominous drum beat._

_Then Lynn got into Jordan's face, "This is what happens to people who dare to hurt our brother!" the jock turned executioner whispers. Then she let the blade drop and all you can hear is the sound of something getting sliced._

**-Exit: Fantasy Sequence-**

Back in reality, Jordan was coated in a layer of her own sweat and shaking harder than a vibrating chair.

At this point, Lori stopped circling around the child. Her big sister instincts kicked in and placed her hand on Jordan's shoulder. But by doing that, the braided lass collapsed and got on her knees and started to cry her eyes out. "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" she blubbered, "I KNOW I HURT LINCOLN, BUT PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" she begged and pleaded. This made Lori and the other sisters start to feel bad for Jordan.

Lori's compassionate side took over. Surprising the other sisters, the oldest Loud sister got down and hugged Jordan and rubbed circles on her back in an attempt to calm her down. "Shhh, it's okay. We're not going to hurt you" Lori told Jordan. The braided lass looked up, "Y…you're not?" she whimpers. "Lincoln explained to me what happened after the bombardment incident, and then he also told me how he and Kat have been helping you these last few weeks" Lori explains, "While I'm proud of him for wanting to help you there's still the matter of all of us. You knowingly hurt our brother and then went out of your way to hurt in other forms and that still leaves a sour taste in our mouths." Jordan dropped her head down, she understood how Lori felt.

If she had a sibling, she'd feel the same way.

But then Lori continued; "So here's what's going to happen, all of us are going to give you a chance. Just one chance to prove to us that you want to be a better person. But if you do anything that we deem to be a step backwards, we will not hesitate to unleash a punishment of our own. Understand?" Jordan, who was still on her knees hugged Lori's waistline rapidly saying "Thank you" over and over and then began kissing her feet.

Lori was taken aback by Jordan's actions. "Uhh…" she mutters, "You can stop now." The braided lass did what she was told and then took the moment to stand back up. "Sorry…" Jordan mumbles while her cheeks grew pink. After a minute of awkward silence, Jordan cleared her throat. "So…can I go now…?" she asks very cautiously. "You can" Lori answers, "but I will be coming with you. I requested to Lincoln to act as a sort of chaperone so I can make sure everything goes smoothly." Jordan at this point didn't have a problem with that. With all things considered, it was a good compromise.

* * *

**(Lincoln's room)**

Meanwhile, Lincoln was trying to decide which movie to start with while Kat was walking in circles.

The snow haired child groans at his friend's antics. "Any chance you'll cease the pacing anytime soon?" he asks. This made young Kathrine stop in her tracks, she then sighs, "Sorry. I'm just worried about Jordan. I hope your sisters didn't scare her too much." This made Lincoln sigh too, "I know how you feel. Lori was a little unreadable when I told her everything before you got here. So we're both in the dark right now."

Kat grimaced ever so slightly at the snow haired child's choice of words.

Just then, the kids heard two pairs of footsteps coming down the stairs. They turned around to find Lori and Jordan. Kat then rushed over to the two and started asking a million and one questions. Fortunately the oldest Loud sister managed to subdue the blue haired lass and told her everything's okay.

"Everyone, I have made a decision" Lincoln announces as he gains everyone's attention. "We will be kicking this marathon off with the 1979 classic, Alien." This peaked Jordan's interest as she's never seen the movie before but has heard about it. Lori and Kat were surprised by Lincoln's pick, but decided it could be fun to get a little spooked. So then the snow haired child walked over to his TV and popped the disk into the DVD player and then set it up to have the movie start playing. Then he walks back over to the couch to get comfortable and then the girls followed suit.

**(Sometime later…)**

Lincoln and co. were about halfway through the film and they finished one of the popcorn bowls. Jordan found herself intrigued by Sigourney Weaver's character, Kat and Lori were slightly disgusted with the alien baby popping out of the chest and the snow haired child focused his attention on the outer space aspects of the movie. All and all, everyone found something interesting about the Sci-Fi/Horror flick.

Then all of a sudden, the TV blinked and turned itself off…along with all the lights. Lincoln and Lori decided to round up the other sisters to see who caused the power to go off. The snow haired child asked for Kat and Jordan to hang tight as it would take only a few minutes.

While waiting, Jordan looked over and saw the blue haired lass hugging her knees while visibly shaking and mumbling something incoherent. This concerned the braided lass. She lightly tapped Kat on the shoulder which made her literally jump off the couch and landed on her butt on the floor.

"Oh my god, are you okay?!" Jordan asks while helping Kat get back up. "I'm fine…" the blue haired lass muttered in embarrassment. "You don't look okay, you kind of look like you've seen a ghost" the braided lass commented. Kat sighs in defeat, "Promise you won't laugh?" she asks. "I promise" Jordan answers.

"I'm afraid of the dark" Kat confesses, "It all started one night when I was really young and the power went off in my house due to a terrible thunderstorm. Since then I don't like being in dark places for very long and I even still sleep with a nightlight because it helps keep me calm when I fall asleep."

Jordan listened to every word of Kat's story. Then she did the only thing she felt like she could do, she took the blue haired lass' hand. This made Kat look at her with confusion. "I know what it feels like to be afraid of something. For instance, I'm afraid of barbed wire. Long story short I went to a summer camp one year that had an extremely tough obstacle course. To this day, I cringe when someone brings it up."

Jordan then gave Kat a smile, "This may seem weird but I feel honored that you felt comfortable telling me a secret like that. I know it must've been hard to admit something like that." "Actually, I have to say it felt really good getting that off my chest. Like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders." This made Jordan smile more.

"Thank you for listening Jordan" Kat complements.  
"Thank you for trusting me with this secret" Jordan complements back.

Just then, the power came back on as well as Lincoln's TV. And Lincoln and Lori came back downstairs looking exasperated. "So what happened was Leni somehow ended up short circuiting her hair dryer and that's what caused the power to blow out" Lori explains. "Were you guys okay down here? I know it got pretty dark" Lincoln asks. Kat and Jordan looked at each other and then turned to the Loud siblings.

"Oh yeah we were just fine" Jordan answers. "It went by so fast we didn't even notice" Kat answers.

Lincoln and Lori looked at each other but ultimately accepted their answers. So then the little group decided to continue on with watching the movie. As Lincoln got the movie set up again everyone else got situated back on the couch Kat asked if she could sit next to Jordan this time. Lincoln said it was okay with him.

Lori decided to take it up a notch and draped a big blanket over all of them.

As the movie resumed, both Lori and Lincoln took handfuls of popcorn. And then Jordan decided to hold Kat's hand again the blue haired lass was confused but then. She noticed that the current scene was in total darkness. Jordan winked at her. This made Kat blush but now she understands. _'You're a real good friend Jordan Rosato…'_ the blue haired lass thought to herself. With Jordan, she wanted to show support to her friend. _'I got your back, for now and forever…'_ she thought to herself.

* * *

**(Next time…)**  
"Thank God I'm a Country Boy!"

* * *

**Lincoln's playlist:**

"Too Much Too Soon" by Green Day  
"Smokey Joe's La La" by Googie Rene  
"Shrine Bros" by Anamanaguchi  
**(cover)** "Electricity, Electricity" by Goodness  
"I Want to Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles

* * *

**AN: So that concludes the first episode rewrite of the story. I know that the only thing I kept from the episode was the power going out, but I felt like the other things weren't really good enough to keep.**


	10. Thank God I'm a Country Boy!

***Disclaimer* I do not own The Loud House. All rights reserved.**

* * *

**AN: Well my dear readers, we reach another big moment in "A Year in the Life". Another main character will be introduced.**

* * *

**(Date: October 12, 2016)  
(Location: the McGee farm)**

"_**COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!"**_

We hear the yawning of a young redheaded boy as he's stretching his limbs. He then looks at his calendar with crusty eyes but then was visibly excited when he saw what day it was.

This boy is Liam McGee, and this is his first day of school…ever.

"Yeehaw!" the boy shouted in glee, which earned him a pillow to the face courtesy of his roommate/little sister Leah. "What are to trying to do? Wake up the dead?!" she grumbled before lying back on her bed.

Ignoring the complaining, Liam jumped out of his bed and rushed into the bathroom.

* * *

**(Sometime later)  
(Kitchen)**

Liam walks in after a nice shower and getting dressed. "Morning ma, morning pa" he greeted.

"Morning sweetie" Sue McGee spoke to her son with a traditional southern drawl, while Paul McGee just sat in his chair reading the morning paper. "I still ain't too sure about you goin' to school" he mutters. This earned him a whack to the arm with a rolling pin courtesy of Mee Maw McGee. "We've been over this" she began, "the boy needs a higher education. You don't just expect him to keep working on the farm forever do you?"

Paul kept his mouth shut due to not wanting to get whacked again.

"Pa" Liam spoke out, "I know why you're against this but it's not like I'm going away forever. I'm just going to be spending less time here and it's not like I'm moving out, I'll still help out after school and on weekends."

"I get that son I do" Paul drawled, "But I just ain't too sure about them big time city folks. People like that walk and talk like they better than us. But I bet none of them know what hard work actually feels like."

As the father continued to ramble, Liam turned his attention to his little sister who just walked in.

"Do you really have to go to school big brother?" she innocently asks. "Aw Leah, I'm not going away forever. I just want to have more experience. And besides, one of us needs to stay here and make sure Pa doesn't throw his back out." Leah giggles at her big brother making a "old" jab at their dear father.

"Remember boy, someday you'll be my age and learn the hard way that you just aren't the same as once before" Paul warned, "besides I'm good with how old I am. I've never felt younger" he boasted.

Just then, there was a rather large disturbance coming from the chicken coop.

Paul sighs, "I can't say the same for your Uncle Jimmy though. That boy's a regular G.I. if it stood for Gibberin Idiot that is." And then he got up to see what the problem was while grumbling about his bumbling brother.

Leah tugs on Liam's shirt, "Is daddy gonna hit Uncle Jimmy with the 2x4 again?" she asks. Then another loud noise came from chicken coop. "That answer your question?" Liam comments, Leah nods.

* * *

**(Afterwards)**

We find our country boy getting his backpack filled with the necessary items.

After that, he leaves his room and then gives out his goodbyes to his parents and sister and then makes it out of the house and sees Mee Maw in the family pickup truck all ready. He gets in the passenger's side and then fastens his seat belt. "Thanks for taking me for my first day" he tells her.

"Aw think nothin' of it sugah; I needed to head into town anyway for a few errands for your mama anyway" Mee Mew spoke. "Do you think pa's going to be okay with this eventually?" Liam asks. Mee Maw sighs, "Your daddy will be fine. He's more worried about giving more responsibility to your Uncle Jimmy."

As she says that, the two could hear incoherent arguing in the background.

Mee Maw sighs again, "I love my sons to pieces. But dag'nabit they can be real idjits sometimes" she grumbles. With that, she revs up the truck and then begins to drive away.

* * *

**(Timeskip)**  
**(Location: Royal Woods Elementary School)**

Meanwhile, just sitting outside of the school was our three main protagonists.

"Did you guys hear that we're getting a new kid in our homeroom today?" Jordan slightly gossips. Both Lincoln and Kat shook their heads as this was new information to them. "Huh, kind of strange that there's new student this late in the quarter" Kat ponders. Then Jordan continued, "Word has it that he's from that farm just outside of town." "I wonder why his parents didn't just send him back in September" Lincoln ponders.

As our curiously inclined trio started to share theories, we find the McGee pickup truck pulling up.

Liam gulps at the sight, "Looks really big" he comments. "I know it might look intimidating now but over time, it won't look so scary" Mee Maw explained in an attempt to soothe her grandson's fears.

"I just hope I'm doing the right thing…" the country boy mutters.

Then Mee Maw puts a hand on her grandson's shoulder. "If there's any kind of trouble, do not hesitate to call me. I'll be here ready to whoop some city kid butts." Liam couldn't help but chuckle, even though she was serious. "Thanks Mee Maw, you sure know how to make me feel better" he tells her.

Then Mee Maw kissed him on the forehead. "You go in there, and show them what the McGees are capable of!" she says in a pep-talk form. "I will!" Liam tells her with a boost of confidence.

And then the country boy unbuckled himself and then got out of the truck. As he ran inside, he didn't pay any attention to the small group of kids sitting on the stairs and they didn't notice him rushing inside. Liam then remembered that he was supposed to go to the main office to pick up his schedule and locker combo.

After finding it, he sees an older woman with a beehive hairstyle typing away on a computer.

"Excuse me" he calls out to her, "I'm here to pick up my schedule." "Oh you must be the new student for Mrs. Johnson's class." Then the secretary pulled out a piece a paper and handed it to Liam. "This holds your schedule and locker information" she explains. "Thank you ma'am" the country boy spoke.

Afterwards, Liam began searching for his homeroom and locker.

He managed to find it and it was surprisingly close to his homeroom. As he opened the locker and began to put his backpack inside, he took a moment to breathe. "How tough can 5th grade be?" he muttered to himself.

* * *

**(A few minutes later…)  
(Mrs. Johnson's classroom)**

_**BRRRIIIINNNG!**_

"Alright everyone settle down, I have a very important announcement to make" Mrs. Johnson calls out while clapping her hands to gain her student's attention. As the children simmered down, the ol' teacher took a breath of relief. "Today we have a new student joining us and I want all of you to make him feel welcome."

Just then, Liam walked into the classroom with a very shy expression. As he stood in front of the class, he took a deep breath. "Howdy, my name is Liam McGee and this is my first day of public school. At first my pa was against it because it would mean he'd be down a helping hand on the farm, but my ma and Mee Maw wanted me to have a good education" he explained with a full southern drawl. Mrs. Johnson blinked twice. "Thank you for the introduction Liam, I think there's an empty desk in the back by Lincoln and Katherine."

"Thank you ma'am." And then the boy walked down the rows and found an empty desk.

As Liam was walking down the aisles of desks, he found the desk the teacher suggested. "Okay students with that out of the way, we can begin with…" Liam took out the textbooks that he needed.

* * *

**(A few classes later…)**

So in the few hours that he's been here so far, Liam has learned that math is slowly becoming the bane of his existence and now understands why his father hates accountants and doing the income taxes. And that becoming a scientist in NOT a valid career option due to being all kinds of dazed and confused. And most importantly, that American history taught by Mrs. Johnson is vastly different than when his father and Uncle Jimmy have been teaching him and Leah these last few years.

But all and all he can't complain, he was happy that no one was picking on him solely because he's the "new guy". Just then he felt a tap on his shoulder which made him slightly jumpy. He turned around and saw a familiar group of kids. "Hi" Lincoln innocently waved. Liam took a breath of relief.

"Whew, scared me there partner…" he muttered.

"Sorry" the snow haired child apologized, "We wanted to introduce ourselves properly. I'm Lincoln and this is this Kat and Jordan" he pointed to the girls that were behind them. "Hi" Jordan said in a somewhat meek tone. "It's a pleasure to meet you" Kat complemented. "The pleasure's all mine" Liam replies.

"Well this has been nice, I should really get going to my next class" the country boy pulled out his sheet, "and it would appear that my next class is Gym with Coach Pacowski." This made the little group perk up. "No way, that's where we going to" Lincoln comments. "Mind if I walk with you then? I'm still trying to figure out the school's layout" Liam admits. "It would be our honor" Kat told the country boy.

With that, the group went on their way to the gymnasium.

* * *

**(Gym)**

"Alright troops listen up" the coach bellows, "today we're going to do something different. Today we'll be playing a classic." The he pulls out several racks containing orange balls. "Basketball!" he shouts in excitement. This caught Liam's attention. He once spent a summer at a camp that played the game on a daily basis. _'And they told me white boys can't jump…'_ he thought to himself.

The coach then blew his whistle, and all the kids rushed to grab a ball. Fortunately, Liam was able to secure a good one. He turned around and was faced with Jordan. "I wasn't able to get a ball…" she admits. "Do…you want to play with me?" asks while batting her eyes. Liam knew that both his mama and Mee Maw would tear him a new one if he said no. "Sure" he tells the braided lass. And then Jordan took Liam's hand and tried to find a free hoop. Fortunately, they managed to find one.

"So, whoever scores 11 first wins?" the country boy offers. "Sounds good to me" Jordan accepted. "Just know that I don't intend going easy on you just because you're new" she tells him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way" he tells her back.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Lunch)**

"You were incredible!" Jordan complements Liam as they're waking though the cafeteria.

"Aw shucks" the country boy blushed, "it's not that big of a deal." But Jordan was having none of it. "Don't be so modest, you managed to win every single game we played. For the first time in a long time, I actually went up against someone who actually made me work hard to try to win. Although I do intend to request a rematch in the future." Liam smiles, "You got yourself a deal partner" he tells her.

Just then, they pulled up to a table where Lincoln and Kat were sitting at.

"So Liam, why don't you tell us a little more about yourself" the blue haired asked politely. "Well" the country boy began, "I live at the farm just outside of town. The farm has been in my family for generations. I live there with my ma, pa, my sister Leah, my grandma who we all call Mee Maw, my uncle Jimmy and my cousin Hattie. I was homeschooled for a long time before my ma and Mee Maw wanted me to get a higher education. My sister is still homeschooled but she likes it." The others listened to Liam's every word.

"I like playing basketball in my spare time. But most of the time I help with the chores on the farm and tend to our animals and help my ma in the flower garden." "Sounds really cool having your family under one roof like that" Lincoln comments. "Yep, most families would be at each other's throats but not us. We all can work and live together somewhat peacefully" Liam explains.

"But enough about me, why don't y'all tell me about yourself" he asks.

The trio then gave the country boy their stories. Liam unsurprisingly was shocked to hear about the amount of sisters Lincoln has. "Your parents sound more fertile than a pair of rabbits" he tells the snow haired child.

Lincoln took no offense since it's kind of true.

* * *

**(Sometime later…)**

After lunch, Liam was walking to his next class which happened to be the Wood shop elective.

Upon entering the classroom, he sees Jordan working on a project. "Hey" he calls out to her. The braided lass looked up and smiled. "Well hey there stranger" she tells him "fancy to meet like this."

"Yeah" Liam comments, "I signed up for this class so I could help fix and build things for the farm" he admits. "Cool" Jordan comments, "I actually switched electives and I wanted to try something that's out of my comfort zone" she admits. "It's good to try new things" Liam comments, "A chance to expand your horizons."

"Is that why your mom and grandma wanted you to go to school?" Jordan cautiously asks.

"Pretty much" Liam answers, "They wanted me to have options for my future. To not just spend the rest of my life working at the family farm. Although if my pa had his way, that's exactly how what he would want for me."

Then the county boy sighs, "Worst part of it all is that I love being on the farm and I'm really good at doing the work and tending to the animals. But I get where my ma and Mee Maw are coming from. They want to do better for me and my sister because an education like this wasn't exactly something my pa and my Uncle Jimmy were fortunate to have. And my grandpa "Pops" god rest his soul, was just as stubborn as my pa is if not worse." Jordan's heart cracked ever so slightly at Liam's explanation.

"I don't know if it's any consolation, but I think your dad is proud of you even if he can't verbally express it right now." The braided lass tells the country boy. Liam chuckled, "Yeah. Pa is definitely a man of few words, except during football season. And those extra words I can't repeat since they're "bad" words."

The two shared a laugh after that, and then Liam decided to make something special to bring back home.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(After school)**

_**BBBRRRIIINNNGGG**_

With another day come and gone, we find Liam gathering his things from his locker and then proceeds to leave. As he was walking towards the front door, Jordan and the others were following in pursuit.

"Hi!" Jordan exclaimed as she jumped in front of the county boy. This time however, Liam remained unfazed.

"Hello" he calmly replied with a smile, "what can I do for ya'll?" he asks the group. Surprisingly, Kat was the one who stepped up. "Well, we were wondering if we could come with you to the farm." This caught Liam's attention. "You do?" he asks, and all three of them nod vigorously. "We already cleared it with our parents" Lincoln explains. Liam thought it over. "Well, I don't see why not then" he answers.

This made the group especially Jordan, excited.

After that, the four walked outside and saw Mee Maw McGee parked in front of the school. Liam got in the passenger's seat once more and then instructed the others how to get up on to the bed. All the while Mee Maw was looking at her grandson with a sly grin. "I take it you had a good day?" she asks.

"Sure did" Liam answers. "And I hope ma and pa are okay with me bringing home company."

"Oh they'll be fine." Me Maw assured. "Besides, you let me handle your hard-headed daddy." Liam couldn't help but laugh. "Hope y'all are secured back there, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!" Mee Maw calls out to Lincoln and co. And then she did quick burnout before ultimately driving away from the school.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: the McGee farm)**

After sometime, the group finally arrived at Liam's farm. "Ah home sweet home" the country boy sighed.

After unbuckling himself, he went over to the truck's bed and helped Lincoln and co. down with ease. "Your grandma sure knows how to drive" Kat comments with a slight haze. Mee Maw overheard this and chuckled, "It's because I occasionally work part time as a drag racer and demolition derby participant!" she calls out.

"I can see that" Both Lincoln and Jordan muttered.

Just then they heard the squealing of a pig, Liam looked excited. The squealing grew closer and closer by the second. And then, a big pink blob rushed passed Lincoln and co. and jumped right onto Liam.

"Aw, I missed you too girl" the country boy cooed as the now identifiable pig madly licked her master's face.

"Guys, this is my pet pig Virginia" Liam explains. "She's the only critter on the farm that can beat me at wrestling" he proudly states. "C'mon, I'll happily give ya'll the grand tour." Lincoln and co. follow Liam's lead as he shows them the farm in all of its glory.

The first stop was the pig's pen where Virginia returned to what appeared to be makeshift weightlifting. The others looked at Liam with curiosity. "She likes to keep in shape" he simply explains.

The next stop was the big chicken coop. "We raise these chickens on the right for their eggs and then we sell them during farmer's markets when it's open. The ones on left we raise to sell for…let's just say their protein" Liam explains. The gang silently thanked the country boy for sparing them of the unpleasant details.

Then they went inside of the barn. "Over here is where we raise our cows for their milk and we sell that too alongside with our eggs" Liam explains. "And over here is where we keep our generator for electricity." He points to an actual electrical generator that's powered by a goat running in a giant wheel.

"To answer the question, Carol Anne considers it to be an excellent cardio workout" Liam tells his new friends. True to his word, the goat in question had rather a happy disposition.

* * *

The last stop on the tour was the main house.

"I'm home!" the country boy calls out. What happened next could only be described as a mini earthquake. All of Liam's family came from every which way. The boy in question was hoisted up by the matriarch of the clan, who squeezed her son so hard that he turned slightly red. "Ma…can't…breathe…" he choked out.

"Oops, sorry sweetie" Sue apologized, and then she saw that her son didn't come inside alone. Her eyes sparkled. "Oooh, you brought company!" she exclaims. "I'm Sue McGee, Liam's mother. And this is Leah, Uncle Jimmy and his daughter Hattie" she introduces, "and the lump in the chair is Paul my husband and Liam and Leah's father." The man in question merely grunted in response.

'_He really is a man of few words…'_ Jordan thought to herself.

"I bet you kids must be starving after long day." When Sue said this, you could hear Lincoln, Kat, Jordan and Liam's stomachs growl like the dickens. "I'll be in the kitchen then." With that, Sue whisked away.

* * *

**(Dinnertime)**

Lincoln and co. sat at the dinner table alongside the McGee family while Sue brought out dish after dish.

There were hamburgers, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and plenty of other delicious food. And while no one said anything outright, Sue would say "It's not every day that we have special company."

At that point, no one could argue with that. Kat in particular was enjoying the spread. Lincoln lightly chuckled as it reminded him of when she tasted his father's cooking for the first time. Talking to Liam's other family members was rather an interesting experience. His little sister Leah was pretty much a smaller version of her big brother. Cousin Hattie was fun as well, despite her habit of spoiling movies that the gang was planning on seeing in the future. Uncle Jimmy was funny in the sense that he came off as a living cartoon character.

Sue and Mee Maw were still really nice and they were happy that Liam made friends on the first day.

Paul was kind of a different story. No he wasn't mean by any means. But Lincoln and co. knew that he still was not accepting of his son going to school. They hope someday that he'll warm up to the idea.

* * *

**(Afterwards)**

Lincoln and co. offered to help with the clean up but Sue said to them and I quote, "You are the guests. We don't make our guests do work." Liam also told him that she's firm on that rule and the others let it go.

After that, there was a minivan pulling up to the house. Jordan quickly recognized it as her mother's.

It was time for Lincoln and the gang to bid their goodbyes. It went Liam, Leah, Sue, Mee Maw, Uncle Jimmy and Cousin Leah. But surprisingly, Paul got up and gave the kids a group hug shocking them and his family. "You take good care of my boy ya hear" he whispered to them.

This was Paul's way of accepting his son's enrollment of the school system.

With that, the gang piled into Mrs. Rosato's van and then it drove away. Leah looked to her brother and said, "I like them. They're nice for city folks." Liam laughed, "Couldn't agree more" he replied.

* * *

**(Bedtime)**

After finishing his nighttime routine, Liam remembered that he still had his present for his ma and Mee Maw.

Sneaking out of his room with gift in toll, he conveniently found the both of them in the living room watching some late night TV. "Ma, Mee Maw" he called out to get their attention. "Why are you still up sweetie?" Sue asks with slight concern. "I made this for the both of you in Woodshop." Then he pulled out a wooden little heart he carved by hand. Both of the recipients were deeply touched by the gift.

"Aw sugah, that's sweet of you" Mee Maw cooed. "I wanted to make something to say thank you for making me go to school" Liam explains. Sue then gave her son a hug. "Aw you're a good kid you know that?" she tells him. Liam responds with a yawn. "Looks like someone's ready for bed" Mee Maw comments.

With that, Sue led her son back into his room and then she tucked him in nice and snug. "Goodnight my little county boy" she whispers and then gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. She also turned off his lamp and then went back to her show. Liam grew a faint smile in his sleep. Initially he was nervous and hesitant about going to school. But after today, he wouldn't trade this experience for the world.

Especially, if Jordan was right there next to him.

* * *

**(Next time…)**  
"What Goes Around, Comes Around"

* * *

**Lincoln's playlist:**

"Thank God I'm Country Boy" by Jim Nabors  
"She Caught the Katy" by The Blues Brothers  
"Born to Be Wild" by Steppenwolf  
"Good Ol' Boys" by Waylon Jennings

* * *

**AN: All I can really say is that I'm so sorry again that it took so long to write and post this. Also, thank you SirRavenMacbeth and Mr. BlankPen for all of your support.**


	11. What Goes Around, Comes Around

***Disclaimer* I do not own The Loud House. All rights reserved.**

* * *

**AN: This chapter is a rewrite of the s1 episode, "Hand-Me-Downer". And I apologize in advance if this chapter feels shorter than previous installments.**

* * *

**(Date: October 15, 2016)  
(Location: the Loud House)**

We find Lincoln, Kat, Jordan and the newest friend Liam, looking at something rather intensely/awkwardly.

"Well" Lincoln spoke out, "what do you think?" "It's nice" Kat comments. "I'm a little surprised that you chose a pink one with streamers and a basket" Jordan comments. The object that the girls are referring to is a bicycle that they're all currently starring at. The snow haired child sighed, "That's because I didn't really _choose_ it. It's actually Lori's bike from when she was my age and she passed it down to me" he confessed.

The others now understood the backstory of the bicycle.

Lincoln then continued. "In my family, passing down bicycles is like a rite of passage. For example, Lynn's bike was originally Leni's who then passed it down to Luna who passed it down to Luan who then passed it down to Lynn. While under Luna's care, she customized to resemble a motorcycle with a sidecar. With Luan, she turned it into a unicycle. And then Lynn rebuilt it to handle sports like BMX racing."

The others listened very closely to Lincoln's story. "But bicycles aren't the only things to be passed down" the Loud boy shares, "let me share with you the Loud family's hand-me-down greatest hits."

* * *

**(Flashback #1)**

_Leni presented Luna with a crop-top shirt with a bedazzled L.L. on the front. While turquoise and pink weren't the rocker's favorite colors, she found a way to dye it have it be like an all Tye-die purple design._

* * *

**(Flashback #2)**

_We find Luna presenting a slightly damaged guitar to Lincoln who looked at it and had a few ideas. Several weeks later, he fixed all the damages and then repainted it to be black and orange. And every now and then he remembers to take it out and practice on it because he wanted to impress his musical sister._

* * *

**(Flashback #3)**

_Luan tried to find a good home for her first ventriloquist doll, Colonel Crackers. But surprisingly, Lynn found it a home. And she gave him a makeover and now he's her soccer team's mascot._

* * *

**(Flashback #4)**

_Lynn presented Lucy with her very first basketball at first the little goth was wary of sports in general, but then she practiced in secret and found herself to not only be really good but also enjoying the game._

* * *

"And that's just the tip of the iceberg, but I think you all get the gist of it" Lincoln concluded.

"Well, it's nice that your sisters found ways to use their hand-me-downs" Jordan commented. The snow haired child couldn't help but agree. "And it was nice of Lori to get you a personalized plate" Kat mentions as she looks at a license plate with Lincoln's name on it and it was the only feature on the bike that that didn't look girlish. "Which is why I called you all here, I need some help customizing this bike. Lori said it was okay to since she understands it hasn't been used since she was younger" Lincoln proclaims.

Just then, a small group of unruly boys posing as bikers rolled by.

"It's gonna take more than a paint job to make that joke look cool Loud!" a rather portly boy yelled out. Lincoln couldn't help but glare. This boy is Papa Wheelie, and the other boys are Flat Tire and Rusty Spokes. These boys have a reputation of harassing kids who they deem to have "lame" and or "uncool" bikes.

But in reality, they're just a bunch of wannabe punks who like looking for trouble.

The snow haired child tried very hard to ignore the creeps by turning up the volume on his i-Pod. "I know you can hear us loser!" Flat Tire called out mockingly. "I bet he's listening to something really girly, to match the bike" Rusty cackled. Meanwhile, Lincoln could feel his temper rising but tried to keep it checked.

But the same could not be said for Jordan. She was never a fan of these guys before, but now hated them more than ever. In an act of subconscious instinct, she grabbed a stray apple and then beamed Rusty in the head with it and he fell off his bike. "If you don't want to be next, I suggest you SCRAM!" she threatened.

Papa Wheelie, Flat Tire and Rusty took her advice to heart and zoomed away as fast as they can. "Idiots…" Jordan grumbled. Then she turned around and saw that the others were rather staring at her awkwardly. "This never happened" she tells them and all of them nod in agreement. Jordan can't afford the one strike.

"So" Lincoln spoke out, "Who wants to help me turn this bike into a Lincoln Loud classic?" The others raised their hands with pride. "Excellent" the snow haired child comments.

* * *

**(Enter: Bike customizing montage)**

We find the gang in the garage turning it into a makeshift paint booth.

The first thing they did was gently remove the basket and streamers as they didn't want to rip anything. Afterwards, Lincoln had to decide what kind of paint scheme he wanted to go with. After doing some thinking, he decided to go with a black and orange scheme much like the guitar he repainted.

After deciding, Lincoln and co. began to work on stripping the old paint so they can repaint it with ease.

It took a while for them to strip the old paint, but then they managed to do it and then they took the time to repaint in the correct spots. Lincoln was smiling throughout this part as he was seeing it all the way done.

**(End of montage)**

* * *

After sometime letting the clear coat set, the group marveled at their hard work.

They repainted the handlebars, fenders and the inside stuff in a nice burnt orange and they repainted the rest in a glossy black. "It's perfect" Lincoln commented. The others couldn't help but agree.

Just then, Lori walked by and she got a look at the bike. She whistled in admiration. "Say, you guys did a good job on the bike" she complements. "Thanks Lori" Lincoln replied. "I'm surprised that you kept the original seat" she noticed. "I don't like that boys bikes have smaller seats and I like being comfortable" the snow haired child explained. The oldest sibling couldn't argue with that logic.

"So what are the plans now?" she asks. "If I were you, I would take this out for a spin."

The gang thought it sounded like a great idea. Going out for a ride. Lincoln knew he had to test it out eventually. "That sounds like a swell idea" Kat commented, as if she was reading the Loud boy's thoughts.

So, it's settled then. The gang took off their makeshift paint clothing and went inside and washed their hands and then came back outside and jumped on all of their bikes and then rode off with smiles.

'_Have fun Linky…'_ Lori thought to herself while smiling.

* * *

As the gang rode around the neighborhood, Lincoln was quite impressed with how the bike handled after being dormant for so many years. But it didn't really surprise him. As a child, Lori took care of her toys as she knew that she would eventually pass it down to her siblings and she tried to keep them in good condition as much as possible. It was a good philosophy to go by. Lincoln knows that he'll do the same with the younger sisters if the opportunity came. "Last one to the park is a Principal Huggins!" he shouts out.

With that incentive, the gang began to haul butt and try to outrun each other.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: Ketchum Park)**

Lincoln was the first to arrive, Jordan came after him, followed by Kat and Liam was the last to arrive.

"Aw man, being Principal Huggins really bites…" the country boy groaned. The others couldn't help but agree. "For someone to have that be his last name, his personality seems like the total opposite" Jordan comments.

"So what should we do know?" Kat asks.

Just then, they heard the sound of an ice cream cart rolling by. The others looked to the blue haired lass. "My treat" she says, "But you have to beat me to the cart first!" then she zooms away.

Unfortunately, no one managed to beat Kat but she still bought ice cream for everyone as to show of being a good sport. She got rocky road for Liam, strawberry for Jordan, vanilla for Lincoln and mint chocolate chip for herself. Meanwhile from a distance, we see the wannabe bikers watching them intensely.

"Hmmm, looks like Loud managed to pull a miracle off after all…" Papa Wheelie mused.

"Stay here, I'll be right back" he tells his men. And then he peddled to where Lincoln and co. are. Jordan was the first to look up and then sported a very annoyed expression. Papa Wheelie on the other hand, held his arms in a surrender type fashion. "I couldn't help but notice what Loud did to his bike and I wanted to see for myself" he explains. Jordan, Kat and Liam looked over to the snow haired child to see what his thoughts were.

"Looks nice wouldn't you say?" Lincoln says in response. This doesn't surprise the others; Lincoln was never one to be petty. Even if the other guy was being a complete and total wad.

"Yeah…" Papa Wheelie muttered. "Anyhow, in light of seeing this transformation I would like to extend an invitation to my crew" he proposes. Kat, Jordan and Liam were in disbelief. This was the guy who was making fun of their friend just a few short hours ago, but now he comes in all buddy-buddy. Personally, they hope that Lincoln wouldn't fall for this. "Well…" Lincoln began, "I have to say no." They were silently relieved.

But the snow haired child wasn't finished. "You're unbelievable you know that? You come here all chummy like you and your goons didn't act like total creeps earlier today. In short, you can take your offer and stick it where the sun doesn't shine because I know who my friends are and you are not my friend!"

With that, Lincoln turned away from the wannabe biker and rode away with Kat and the others following behind. Meanwhile, Flat Tire and Rusty pull up to their leader who was slightly gobsmacked.

"You gonna just let that Loud punk get away?!" Flat Tire exclaimed.

"Yeah, yeah I am" Papa Wheelie muttered, "the kid has moxie. I can respect that." Then the leader just took off in the other direction. Both Flat Tire and Rusty were flabbergasted at their leader's reaction.

But not wanting to ruffle feathers, the two rode off to catch up to Papa Wheelie.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: the Loud House)**

Lincoln and co. rolled back to the latter's house after riding around town. "Well, it's safe to say that the bike's durable" the snow haired child commented. "And it's also safe to say that its rider knows how to stand up to bullies" Jordan commented. Lincoln tried to hide his blushing cheeks but ultimately failed.

"Seriously though, you handled those varmints with class" Liam put in his two senses. "It was nice seeing you standing up to them after they were being so mean earlier" Kat commented. "Aw guys…" Lincoln groaned.

Just then, Lynn pops seemingly out of nowhere while riding her bike while shouting in glee.

"MAN THAT WAS AWESOME!" the athlete yelled, but quickly calmed down as she noticed that she wasn't alone. "Hehehe, sorry" she quietly apologized. "I take it you won the stunt bike competition?" Lincoln guessed.

"Correct little brother" Lynn answered. Then she noticed the custom bike. "Say, that's a pretty slick job you did to Lori's old bike. Remind me to call you if I want to modify my bike anytime soon" she comments.

"It was a joint effort" Lincoln confessed, "I couldn't have done it without my friends."

Lynn whistled in admiration. "You guys should open up a workshop. I know some people who would pay good money for a custom paint job." With that, the athletic sister put her bike away nice and safe and then ran to the door that led to the kitchen and Lincoln presumably thought she would grab a victory Gatorade.

"You know Lynn might have a point" Kat mused. "It would be kind of cool to get paid to modify bikes" Jordan commented. "Maybe it's something to consider doing as a summer job" Liam mused.

Just then; Kat, Jordan and Liam's phones began vibrating. They all received messages from their parents asking them to come home for dinner soon. "Oooh, I should get going. Tonight we're having my Mee Maw's signature ribs" Liam spoke up. Then Kat and Jordan voiced their dinners as well.

Lincoln bid his friends goodbye as they rode away in different directions to reach their homes.

The snow haired child then turned to the viewer, "It seems like my bike modifications paid off. I'm happy that Lori's okay with me doing it. I'm still not sure why she waited so long to pass her bike down and to me out of all of us, but maybe she was afraid that the others would damage it too much. I don't want to give it much thought to be honest. And I don't care that this used to be a girl's bike. In my heart, this is a sick ride with a 102 temperature and I plan on taking extra care of it so I can pass it down to one of the younger sisters. I bet Lana will really appreciate it when she gets older."

After finishing his monologue, the snow haired child ran inside to wash up for dinner as well.  
Tonight was his dad's extra meaty meatloaf in honor of Lynn's win.

The moral of this tale is that it just goes to show that what goes around comes around.

* * *

**(Next time…)**  
"Season of the Witch"

* * *

**Lincoln's playlist:**

"Can You Picture That?" by Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem  
"Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra  
"Neat Neat Neat" by The Damned  
"Surrender" by Cheap Trick

* * *

**AN: I like to think that this is an improvement to the source material. I don't exactly consider this chapter a "fix it" type scenario. I just took what was there and in my opinion, made the not so good parts a little better if that makes any sense.**


	12. Season of the Witch

***Disclaimer* I do not own The Loud House. All rights reserved.**

* * *

**AN: This, this chapter I've been waiting to do for a very long time and I hope you all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Because, this chapter is a labor of love.**

**And I need to give a special shoutout to SirRavenMacBeth. He deserves credit for helping me with not only this chapter in particular, but for this story as a whole.**

* * *

"You got to pick up every stitch, the rabbits runnin in the ditch. Beatniks are out to make it rich."**  
\- Donovan**

* * *

**(Date: October 21, 2016)  
(Location: the Patterson residence)**

"_**Show me the meaning of being lonely…"**_

As the clock radio went off, we see a little girl with long black hair with one eye seemingly covered turning it off and began to stretch her limbs. She let out a small yet adorable yawn. She then gets off of her bed to walk over to her bathroom to get ready for the day.

After taking a shower and brushing her teeth, she came back to get dressed.

She took off her pajamas and then proceeded to put on a dark purple dress and then a pair of grayish purple shoes. But the most unique part of the ensemble was when she draped a black cloak over herself and then placed a matching witch's hat on top of her head. The girl let out a quick sigh of sadness.

She then went over to her desk and collected her schoolbag; she unzipped a secret compartment and pulled out what appeared to be a long curved stick. She gave it a quick kiss and put it back in its secret compartment. She also remembered to grab her phone off its charger and then proceeded to walk downstairs.

* * *

She makes her way to the kitchen where we find an older woman with the same kind of black hair only cut shorter, making breakfast. "Good morning sweetie" the older woman greeted. "Morning mom" the little girl quietly greeted. "I made your favorite, blueberry pancakes and extra crispy bacon."

The little girl grew a ghost of a smile. This girl is Hildegard Patterson, but she prefers to be called Haiku after her favorite type of poetry. She thanked her mother and began eating her meal in complete silence. Her mother Georgia let out a sigh, she was worried for her daughter. She wanted nothing more than to see her daughter to give a genuine smile. In the meantime, she quickly put Haiku's lunch into her schoolbag.

_**BEEP-BEEP!**_

Haiku looked up as she gulped the last of her bacon. "Bus is here" she commented. The little sorceress to be grabbed her hat and gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek and said "Love you" and then rushed out the door to catch the bus. "Have a good day sweetie" he mother said to no one in particular.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: Royal Woods Elementary school)**

As Haiku steps off the school bus, she inserts a pair of headphones that's connected to her phone. She then pulls up Spotify for some music before class starts. She firsts checks out a 70s playlist.

"**One is the loneliest number…"**

She groaned at the song and then switched over to a 60s playlist in hopes of a more upbeat tune.

"**Lonely, ****I'm Mr. Lonel****y…"**

This made Haiku quite unamused. She sucked in a deep breath of anger and then she switched over to a podcast she regularly listens to when she's feeling this way.

"**Hello, I'm Dr. Felicia Lopez. Welcome to another episode of my new podcast, "Friends, Who Needs Them? You Do." This week's challenge: put yourself out there. When the hand of friendship is offered to you, take it. You can do it. Now, go. Make some friends."**

She then proceeded to walk into the school, while ignoring the occasional stare by other students. Haiku knows that she's different, but she wishes that other people would like her who she is.

* * *

She walked through the halls to find her locker; she managed to find it with a new record of timing. She opened the container and placed her bag and hat inside and then grabbed the textbooks she needed.

_**BRRRIIIINNNG!**_

The little sorceress groaned at the warning bell. She hurried along to get to her homeroom with Mrs. Johnson. Yes, she shared classes with a certain group. But interactions won't happen until later.

* * *

**(Timeskip…)  
(Lunchtime)**

We find Haiku sitting outside on a stray bench while she enjoyed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich from the lunch her mom made. Her classes were uneventful and nothing noteworthy happened. She felt often overlooked by not only her classmates but her teachers as well.

While eating, she listened to another podcast about boosting one's self-confidence.

Just then, her line of sight was darkened by the shadows of two unruly boys that were staring down at her.

Haiku looked at the boys with discomfort as she pulls out her earbuds. The first boy who was built like the Incredible Hulk, this was Colin Zwicker. The other boy was shorter and skinnier, this is Jason Stewart. These boys had a reputation for stealing kids' lunches for themselves or just for fun. Guys like these made Haiku feel very scared. "C-Can I help you guys?" she meekly asks.

Colin looked over to the cupcake that sat next to Haiku and then grew an unsettling grin. "Say, that cupcake looks too good for someone so small like you" he cruelly commented. "Yeah" Jason agreed with a snide.

Haiku shuddered slightly as she reached out for her cupcake, not wanting to have it taken. "No, it's my special desert..." she tells them as politely as possible.

But then Colin got angry. "I think you misunderstood, give me the cupcake or else!" he threatened.

Haiku felt her heart rate increase as the first boy stepped closer. She thought about just handing over the cupcake. But after a moment of decision, she brought the cupcake closer to her. Deciding to try and take some of the podcast's advice to heart. "Pl... please, I'm asking you to leave me al-lone. I just want to eat in piece..."

Meanwhile, Lincoln was walking towards his group but halted as he saw the little sorceress getting ganged up. This angered the snow haired child. _'Not on my watch…'_ he thought to himself.

"Hey!" he called out to the bullies. "You heard her; she wants to eat in peace!"

Haiku and the two goons looked up in surprise as the snow haired child walked towards them, glaring at the two boys with anger. While Haiku appreciated that this boy wanted to help, she couldn't help but be nervous as there was only one of him and there's two of them.

Not to mention the fact that they were several inches taller than him.

"Beat it Loud, this doesn't concern you!" Colin growled. "Yeah!" Jason agreed like the minion he is. Lincoln on the other hand, looked very unamused. The Loud boy continued towards them, making Haiku more nervous by the minute. When he finally reached them, she wasn't sure what he planned on doing. Not wanting to be the reason for a fight, Haiku attempted to get up, only for the first goon to block her way.

"Please... Take the cupcake... Just leave me alone... I don't want anyone to get hurt..." she pleaded. Haiku starts to move the cupcake away from herself, only for Lincoln to step in between her and the goons.

"If you want that dessert, you have to get through me" the Loud boy told the bullies. Both bullies grinned down at Lincoln, moving forward till they were mere inches from Lincoln. Colin lifted his hands, bringing them together to crack his knuckles. "Oh? And what does a puny thing like you think you can possibly do to stop us?" he mockingly asked. Jason nodded, while getting in Lincoln's face. "Yeah! There are two of us. We could crush you like a bug" he boasted. Lincoln narrowed his eyes, "Let's rock" he growled.

Jason grinned at Lincoln, raising a hand and putting it into a fist. "You sure you want to do this? This is that last chance to walk away that you are going to get." Lincoln didn't bother answering the question; instead he put a hand behind his back, tapping on Haiku's hand. Haiku looked at the back of Lincoln's head, raising a brow in confusion. "Step back" he instructed her. Colin just grinned at Lincoln, shaking his head.

"How stupid can you be? Why would we listen to you?" he cackled.

Haiku couldn't help but to smile as she took several steps back, watching as Lincoln moved his right foot forward. Jason swung at Lincoln, but he stepped back at the last second. Colin didn't even have time to react before Jason's fist made contact with his face. Lincoln couldn't help but to cringe as Colin fell like a pile of bricks. Jason had to take a second to process what had happened before his eyes filled with fire and he turned to Lincoln. "I'M GOING TO KICK YOUR BUTT, LOUD!" he yelled. He swung his fist again, aiming straight for Lincoln, but Lincoln stepped to the side. Jason's eyes filled with shock as he walked into the bench, his shins smacking into it hard enough to make him drop to his knees in pain.

"WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON OUT HERE?!" an unknown voice boomed.

Lincoln, Haiku and Jason all turned their heads towards the voice. Lincoln gave a small smile as soon as he saw Principal Huggins walking towards them. He could practically feel the anger radiating off of him.

"Mr. Loud, are you responsible for this?!" the aging principal asks while still on a warpath.

Lincoln just gave him an innocent look, waving his hands towards the two bullies. "No sir, I didn't lay a single finger on them" he explains. He then raised a hand, extending a finger towards the roof. "If you don't believe me, you can always look at the footage from the security camera" he suggests.

Huggins then took everyone to his office to sort everything out.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: Principal Huggins' office)**

"Alright now, Cheryl is sending me the footage. Once I have it, we will be watching this all together" the principal paused, looking over the four students with one eye narrowed. "This is the last chance any of you will get to tell the truth. Anyone want to tell me anything before I press play?"

Lincoln kept a poker face while the two bullies kept quiet because they don't want to admit that they got their butts kicked, and the snow haired child didn't even lay a finger on either one of them.

Huggins gave a small, yet curt nod before pulling something up on his computer. Once he opened the file he was looking for, he turned the screen so that they could all watch. For the first few moments it just showed the Colin and Jason messing with Haiku, and then it showed Lincoln stepping in to help out. When the video finally ended, Huggins turned his head to Lincoln, Haiku and finally Colin and Jason.

At first he didn't say a word, nor did his face give them any clue as to what he was thinking... And then his face cracked into a small smile and his let out a snort of laughter. After quickly straightening himself, he cleared his throat and turned to Lincoln and Haiku. "Well... That was... Interesting... Anyway, as it is obvious that Mr. Loud has done nothing wrong, he can go back to lunch, as well as you Ms Patterson. You may leave now."

Lincoln and Haiku took Huggins' word to heart and bolted, not wanting to stick around to hear punishments.

He then turned towards the two goons. "As for you two. Mr Zwicker, Mr Stewart, I will be seeing both of you in detention for the next week. I do not take kindly to bullying and I'll be calling both of your parents. If I ever catch either or you bullying again, it would be a month of detention and in-school suspension. Is that understood?" The two nervously nodded. _'I'll get you for this Loud…'_ Colin thought to himself.

* * *

**(Meanwhile…)**

As Lincoln and Haiku exited the main office, the snow haired child gave the little sorceress a smile. "Come on, I'll walk you back to your food" he tells her. Haiku returned his smile with a shy one of her own.

"Thanks... And thanks for standing up for me..." she complemented.

Lincoln shrugged. "Think nothing of it; I can't stand seeing people thinking that they can pick on people for any kind of reason." Haiku smiled at that, looking down at her hands as she held up her cupcake. "D...do you want to split it with me? You know... as a thank you?" "I couldn't, you definitely earned it" he politely tells her.

Haiku shook her head. Breaking the treat in half, holding one out to him. "Please...it would mean a lot to me...not many people would help like you did..." Lincoln still felt hesitant, but then he saw a look in her eyes. "Well, if you insist." Then the snow haired child took the part of the cupcake Haiku offered.

"I'm Haiku, by the way" she formally introduced herself. "Lincoln Loud" he introduced back.

As the day went on, Haiku couldn't stop thinking about Lincoln and his act of chivalry.

During the passing period between classes, she would sneak a glance at the snow haired child from afar as he was talking to his friends. She wanted to walk up to him but then got cold feet.

* * *

**(After School)**

_**BRRRIIIINNNG!**_

With another school day completed, all the kids rushed out the front door and then spread out in all directions. But a certain little sorceress was kicking herself as she didn't ask Lincoln where he lived. And she just saw him drive away in a large minivan along with what appeared to be his little sisters. But then she remembered seeing him taking to a girl with long blue hair, a girl with light brown braided hair and a boy with short shaggy red hair. She had two options. Follow the van or talk to his other friends.

Not wanting to come off as a total stalker, Haiku decided to go with option 2.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: the Loud house)**

After getting the information she needed, the little sorceress found herself right in front of Lincoln's house. And needless to say, she felt very nervous. Haiku nervously walked up to the front door of the house, raising her fisted hand to knock. After a moment of hesitation, she brought her fist down against the door, hitting it twice.

_**KNOCK-KNOCK**_

After getting no reply, she moved her hand back up to knock on the door again, but just as she was about to make contact with the door, it swung open, making her hand swing freely through the air, knocking her off balance. And then she fell on her keister, with her hat now covering her face.

After straightening her hat, Haiku looked up at the door, feeling her face grow warm in embarrassment. Standing before her was a tall, thin, blond hair girl, seemingly to be in her late teens. The teen looked down at her in surprise, blinking at her before reaching her hand down to Haiku. "Err... You alright?" she asks.

"Is...Lincoln home...?" Haiku asks while trying and failing to hide her blushed cheeks.

Lori was a little surprised by her question. With a raised a brow, Lori helped Haiku to her feet. "Yeah, he's in his room. Come on in, I'll get him... Umm... Who are you exactly?" she asks with a slight tone.

Haiku then froze up; she had to think of something. "I-I am Haiku, we go to the same school…" she says. This fortunately for everyone is the truth. Lori took a second to look her over making Haiku sweat, but after a moment, she just gave her a nod, waving her in. "Alright, come in and have a seat. You want something to drink?" she politely asks the little sorceress. "A glass of water, if that's okay..." Haiku answers.

Lori gave a nod as she turned, heading inside. Haiku followed at a slight distance, turning her eyes down to look at the floor. "Err... So, are you Lincoln's sister?" she awkwardly asks.

"Yes I am" Lori answers, "the oldest of 11 actually."

Haiku gave a small nod before her head shot up in surprise. "ELEVEN?!" she shouts. Lori turned her head, looking at Haiku over her shoulder with a smile. "Yeah, that's right. I know, it's a bit of a shock, but don't worry, my youngest sisters are out with the oldest of my younger sisters. They shouldn't be back for a couple of hours, as Leni brought them to the park. As for my other sisters, they are probably off doing their own thing." Haiku raised a brow, looking at her in surprise. "Wait, so is Lincoln the only boy?"

Lori gave her a nod in conformation. _'Wow...'_ the little sorceress thought to herself.

As they stepped fully into the house, Lori closed the door behind them before turning to look at Haiku. "Alright, make yourself comfortable and I'll be right back with Lincoln and a glass of water. Okay?" Haiku gave her a small nod, making Lori smile. "You don't say much, do you?"

"I'm...trying to work on it" she mutters.

Lori gave her a nod, keeping her smile. "I see. Well, we all have things we need to work on. Anyway, if any of my sisters come and start to bother you, just let me know. I'll be back in just a moment."

"Thank you..." Haiku spoke in an almost whispery tone.

Lori nodded once more before she turned, heading across the living room before she disappeared into another room. Now on her own and unsure what to do with herself, Haiku moved to the middle of the room, taking a seat in an arm chair while she waited for Lincoln. It was at that moment that she realized that she never got Lincoln's oldest sister's name. _'I'll have to ask Lincoln when he's here...'_ she thought to herself.

After a few minutes, Lori came back hold a glass of water and Lincoln walking alongside her. The snow haired child looked at the little sorceress with surprise when he saw her. He had to admit when Lori said that there was someone waiting for him, he didn't expect to see her.

"Hey stranger" he greets with a smile, "not that I'm not happy to see you. But what brings you here?" Haiku then got up from her seat. "I...I just wanted to see you" she sheepishly confessed. Lincoln took the glass of water from Lori before giving Haiku a calming smile and walking to her, handing the glass to her.

"Alright, so you just wanted to hang out? I'm cool with that" he tells her.

"Yes…I would like that very much" she responds. Lincoln gave her a thoughtful nod. "Alright, so what do you want to do?" he asks his guest. "Maybe...you could show me your room..?" Haiku suggests. Lincoln nodded, taking her hand. "Alright, that sounds fine." So the two children bid Lori a goodbye and then walked downstairs to Lincoln's bedroom.

* * *

**(Lincoln's room)**

As soon as Haiku saw Lincoln's bedroom, she was awestruck. "This...is your room?" she dumbly asks.

Lincoln gave her a nod and a smile. "Yeah, it is. I take it you like it?" "It's amazing" she tells him, "it reminds me of my own room up in the attic of my house." "Nice. Maybe you can show me sometime." Haiku faintly smile at the thought of having someone over at her house.

"Anyway, see anything that you want to do? Or do you just want to talk? Whatever you want to do, I'm up for it." Then Haiku notices Lincoln's NES plugged into the TV. "What's that plugged into your television?" she asks. Lincoln then looks over to where she was. "Oh that? That's my NES. Arguably my favorite video game system" he says with pride."Video...game?" this confused the little sorceress.

Lincoln gave her a nod, waving her towards his TV. "Yeah, come on, I'll show you. It's super fun."

The snow haired child then turned on the TV and then the system, and then the iconic jingle of Super Mario Bros. was heard in surround sound. Haiku couldn't help the small smile that formed on her face as soon as she heard the music and she quickly moved to sit with Lincoln.

The Loud boy sets up a 2-player game and then handed the second controller to Haiku. "How the 2-player mode works is that when player loses a life, it's player 2's turn and vise versa" he explains.

Haiku gave him a nervous look, but after seeing the look of excitement he was giving her, she quickly nodded. "Alright... But you're going to have to show me how to play." Lincoln just gave her a smile and a nod. "Of course." Haiku watched as he started the first level, fighting through the brown mushroom looking creatures by jumping on their heads as well as stomping on green turtles. She was surprised to find that it looked rather fun and she found herself looking forward to her own turn. _'Such, fascinating looking creatures...'_ she thought to herself. As if reading her thoughts, Lincoln purposely took a dive and turned to look at her. "Your turn" he tells her. Haiku stared at her controller with curiosity and wonderment.

She was feeling a sense of excitement in that moment.

She looked down at the controller in her hands before turning her head to give Lincoln a questioning look. "So...how exactly do I play?" The snow haired child then gave her a quick crash course in gameplay.

At first she struggled to understand the controls, but after a few near misses, she had managed to get to the second, then the third levels. Lincoln was quite impressed with how fast she had picked it up, even telling her so. "I have to say, I'm impressed. Are you sure you never played before?" he asks.

Haiku shook her head, looking down at the controller. "No... I mean Yes... Err... I mean, no, I have never played before." "Okay, I believe you" Lincoln chuckled. Haiku let out a small chuckle of her own before she set down the controller and turned her head to look at Lincoln. "Can I ask you a question?" "Of course" he answers.

"Why did you help me with those bullies earlier?" Lincoln gave her a frown. "What do you mean?" Haiku sighed, feeling nervous. "Well, most people would just walk on by and let them take my stuff... But you didn't... I just want to know why...?" Lincoln gave her a serious look, bringing his hand up to rub his ear. "I don't like bullies and well, I guess I'm not like most people. You needed help, so I helped."

Haiku sighed once more before giving him a small smile. "Well, thank you."

"Besides, I know firsthand what feels like to get picked on" the snow haired child confessed. Haiku looked at him with surprise. "You do?" Lincoln nods. "I was never the most popular kid in school, like ever. Most kids have made fun of me because of my naturally white hair, the amount of sisters I have and the fact that I have earbuds in the head 24/7 because of accident I had when I was 7 and it gave me Tinnitus and I listen to music to drown out the ringing in my head." Haiku looked at him with a frown. "Sorry to hear that... And I don't see anything wrong with you hair... I think it suits you." Lincoln gave her a small smile and a shrug. "It's okay, I'm dealing with it. Anyway, want to keep playing this game or do you want to try a different one?"

"What other games do you have?" Haiku asks with curiosity.

Lincoln gave her a small smile before getting up, moving for a shelf. "Why don't you come over and have a look? I'm sure you'll find one that you would like to try." Haiku smiled. "Sounds good to me."

Haiku then sat up next to Lincoln and looked on in wonder as she looked at the various games he had. After taking a moment to look through them, one game caught her eye more than the rest. "What's Legend of Zelda?" she asks. "That my dear, is a game definitely worth your time" Lincoln answers in glee.

"So, who is Zelda? What do you do?" she asks.

"To answer in short, it's a wonderful fantasy game and you actually control the character known as Link and you navigate throughout a world known as Hyrule and its filled with treasure, monsters and you collect fragments of an item known as Triforce. Then you have to defeat the main villain known as Ganon to rescue Princess Zelda" Lincoln explains. Haiku raised a brow in curiosity. "Sounds Interesting. Can we play?" she asks. The snow haired child smiled, "I thought you'd never ask."

Haiku returned his smile as he moved to put the game into the system and she moved to sit by him as pleasant music started to play. After watching Lincoln start a new game and get through the first few opening levels, he handed the controller to Haiku and explained the controls to her. At first, much like with the Mario game, she had difficulty with not getting into trouble. But after less than ten minutes of playing, she had all but mastered the controls, surprising both herself and Lincoln. After another ten minutes of playing, she had started to really get into the story line and the game play.

And...she had to admit there was great satisfaction in killing all of the weird little monster things. Screw the princess, she would be happy to just keep going up against them. Of course, she also enjoyed finding more weapons, as she liked having new ways to destroy things. Honestly, the only thing that could make it better would be if there was magic, but she couldn't complain.

Lincoln was just completely blown away at Haiku's strategies and maneuvering, and couldn't help but notice the stars in her eyes as she played. "Wow... You sure are a fast learner. I don't think I've seen anyone pick up a game this fast" he comments. Haiku couldn't believe it herself.

After continuing to play for about another hour, Haiku happened to spot an alarm clock out of the corner of her eye and when she noticed what time it was, she jumped up from next to Lincoln in surprise, nearly knocking him over. After helping to stabilize Lincoln, she looked at him with a slight frown. "I'm sorry, but I've got to get going. My mom is probably wondering where I am and I still have homework to do... Maybe we can hang out again sometime?" Lincoln smiled, "Sounds like a plan." Haiku returned the smile while slowly backing towards the stairs. "Until next time" she tells him. And with that, she headed for the stairs, climbing them while Lincoln sits on his bed with a small smile. _'Guess I just made a new friend...'_ he thought to himself.

* * *

Haiku bid the oldest sister who introduced herself as Lori goodbye as she left the house.  
_'Guess I just made a friend...__a__ real...friend...'_ she thought to herself while smiling.

* * *

**(Later that night…)**

* * *

**(Location: the Patterson residence)**

Haiku managed to get back in time and managed to get her homework done efficiently.

For dinner, Haiku and her mom decided to order pizza. As the little sorceress munched on her slice of pepperoni, her mother couldn't help but notice her daughter's sunny disposition.

"So, did anything interesting happen at school today" she asks.

Haiku gulped down her last bit of the slice before answering. "Well, I…made a friend" she answers. Georgia stopped in her tacks as she processed the information her daughter gave. Then in an instant, she got up and scooped up the little sorceress and gives her a near bone crushing hug.

"Oh sweetie I'm SO proud of you!" she cooed. Then she puts Haiku down and goes back to her seat. "So, tell me everything" she instructs her daughter. "Well" Haiku began, "his name is Lincoln Loud and he's very nice and he saved me from getting picked on from a couple of awful bullies." Georgia was shocked to hear that her daughter got picked on but then Haiku reassured her that the principal laid the law on the bullies. "After school, I wanted to see him again so I asked around for his address and then I found his house and met one of his sisters. She was really nice too. Lincoln was surprised to see me but was happy none of the less. He showed me his bedroom and it was a really cool set up and he showed me his game console and he and I played together for quite some time. That's why I was running late" she explains.

None of the less, Georgia was ecstatic to hear that her daughter made a friend.  
_'I hope I can meet this Lincoln someday' _she thought to herself

After dinner, Haiku helped her mom with cleaning and putting away the dishes and leftovers.

Then they watched TV together for a couple of hours. Then Georgia looked over at the clock and saw that it was getting to be time for bed. So she turned off the TV and the lights and she and Haiku went upstairs to retire for the night. "Goodnight sweetie" Georgia calls out to her daughter as she climbs the stairs to the attic.

* * *

**(Bedtime)**

After doing her nighttime routine, Haiku clad in her pajamas got into her bed and tried to fall asleep but she couldn't. She couldn't stop thinking about much fun she had hanging out with Lincoln today. She thought about how nice he was and how friendly his older sister seemed. She thought about how much fun she had playing on Lincoln's NES with him. And that was when it hit her, she could just get her own.

Really, how hard could it be?

And if she bought one of her own, then if Lincoln ever decided to come over to her house, they could play.

So it was decided then. She needed to obtain one of her very own. But this would be no ordinary search, this is a quest. A quest to procure a NES to call her own. Like all great quests, she would need to prepare. She would need to make sure she had enough money and she would need a place to put it. Both of which she was sure wouldn't be a problem. The biggest problem she would have would be that she wouldn't even know where to begin her search. Perhaps she could look online for local businesses that might carry such items.

She got off her bed and went over to her desk and turned on her computer and typed away in the internet search engine and she got a hit. There's a store right in the Royal Woods mall called "8-Bit Dungeon" that sells classic video games. "Perfect" she said to herself. She quickly wrote down a few notes on a sheet of scrap paper. Then she powered down her computer and then walked back over to her bed and proceeds to get under the covers. _'Tomorrow, I'm going on a quest…'_ she thought before drifting to sleep.

* * *

**(The next day…)**

As she woke up earlier than usual for a Saturday, she quickly showered and brushed her teeth and got dressed for her adventure. She then collected her messenger bag, wanting to have something to put the system into to keep it safe for the return journey and then she made her way for the kitchen, grabbing a drink and a snack for the road. After all, what use is a hungry traveler who is on a quest?

She then saw her mother at the table reading the paper while sipping her cup of coffee.

"Going somewhere?" she asks. "I'm going to the mall for a while" the little sorceress answers. "Want me to drive you?" Georgia offers. "No, this is something I need to do. By myself" Haiku declared.

"Okay then, just remember to keep your phone on you in case you need to call or if I call you" Georgia asks.

Haiku then pulled her phone out from her bag, "charged it up last night" she tells her mom. "Have fun sweetie" Georgia tells her daughter before going back to her paper and coffee. "I will mom" Haiku replies.

Then she grabbed her walking staff that was by the stove counter and then walked out the front door.

* * *

She left her home, officially stating upon her quest. She was unsure what it held for her, but she was sure it wouldn't be easy. With that thought, she started down the sidewalk, towards her destination.

She was used to people looking at her with raised eyebrows, but she was on a quest. And that means she had one thing on her mind. _'I shall not rest until I find the object that I seek'_ she thought. Then she came across the bus stop that would take her to the mall. Soon the bus arrived and she boarded with haste.

The faster she was seated, the faster she would be off. And no mind did she give to any who stared, for she was on a quest and nothing would stand in her way. _'Let them stare, they're just jealous that they're not on a daring quest.'_ She thought to herself. The bus started down the road and Haiku let out a sigh.

Soon she would be at her destination and soon she would find her prize.

* * *

**(Timeskip...)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: the Royal Woods mall)**

The bus arrived not even twenty minutes later and young Haiku stepped off the bus. Standing before the mall, she let out a sigh. Soon, her quest would end. But then again once she got what she came for, that in its self would be a new quest. One she hoped to share with her friend.

"Soon Lincoln, I'll become a player worthy to be your partner..." she whispers to herself.

And with that, she started off making her way to the large building that made up the mall. She then walked to directory so she could see where the "8-Bit Dungeon" was located. According to the map, it was located on the second floor not too far away from the food court. She made her way to the escalators, working past the various shops as she made for the second floor.

Then after passing several places she stood right in front of the store she had been searching for. And she went inside to have a look around. There were many fascinating things that caught her attention, most of which were far out of her price range and looked rather quite old.

As she was walking around she noticed a certain snow haired child walking into the store!

'_Lincoln!'_ she thought to herself, _'I can't let him see me. Not like this!'_ she then ducked behind a display and then she sunk her hat into her head and wraps herself into her cloak to try to look as small as possible.

After a few minutes, she poked her head to see if Lincoln was still in the store. To her relief, he wasn't in sight.

As she was standing up, she bumped into someone. The person was a man in his late thirties to early forties. "Sorry sir" Haiku apologized. "Oh it's okay; I just couldn't help but notice you were hiding behind this display here. I have a policy to make sure all my customers. Is there anything in particular I can help with?" he asks.

Haiku felt more embarrassed as she bumped into the apparent owner of the shop. But then, she had a surge of courage and had a few questions. "I'm actually hoping to procure a system commonly known as a Nintendo Entertainment System or NES for short. But the thing is I don't have an older TV to plug it into. Do you know of any alternatives?" The man gave her a thoughtful look, clearly thinking of the best solution. "I would recommend either getting one of the original devices and getting an adapter online or to buy one of the newer, remake models. Either choice would let you play on any of the newer televisions."

But then the clerk remembered something. "But now that you mention it, I might have something in the back. Please, follow me." Haiku then proceeded to walk behind the store clerk. As they made it to the back room the clerk walked over to a table that had a small flat screen monitor and had a game system plugged into it. Haiku recognized the controllers being like the ones Lincoln had. "This little baby came from a friend of mine out in California. He calls it, the Retrousb AVS" the store clerk explained.

Haiku looked at it with awe. "What is this wonder?"

The store clerk continued to explain, "According to my friend, he built this device to play original NES games on modern TVs." Haiku stepped closer, looking it over. "How much is it?" she cautiously asks.

The clerk had to ponder for a moment. When he first received this system, he wasn't thinking of selling it. But then he looked at this little girl and saw something unique within her. "Before I answer that I have to admit, you don't look like much of a gamer. No offence" he tells her.

Haiku let out a sigh, giving a small shrug. "None taken. I only just started. I made a friend yesterday and he showed me his system and let me play on it. I wanted to get one of my own so if he ever comes over to my house, we can play together" she explains with a sigh.

The store clerk understood where Haiku was coming from. Back in the day, he made a lot of friendships through the NES that he owned as a child. Then he got an idea. "I'll tell you what, before we talk about a price you humor this old gamer into playing one little game?" Haiku gave him a small, slightly nervous smile. "Alright... I mean, I've only been playing for a day, so I don't know how good I'll be... But sure..."

The store clerk clapped his hands together. "Excellent! The game I have in mind is an oldie but a goodie, Super Mario Bros." This made Haiku perk up. "Alright. I'm familiar with that game, so it shouldn't be too hard." Haiku couldn't help but to let out a small sigh of relief. She was very glad that it was a game that she already knew. It would make it a lot easier. The store clerk quickly changed out cartridges and then booted up the game. He turned to Haiku, waving his hand over a seat in front of the system. "Please, have a seat. Get comfortable and show me what you can do." The little sorceress gulped. "I'll...try my best sir..."

And with that, she sat in the chair, grabbing the controller just as the familiar music started to play. She felt that she should have been feeling more confident, but instead, she was very nervous. She wasn't a fan of the pressure. But then again, this was a quest and she was doing it for a friend.

"Lincoln, this one's for you..." she whispers to herself. Then she started to give it her all.

In World 1-1, she managed to find the hidden 1-UP mushroom and sneaked down the pipe and collected a lot of coins. Then in the next stage, she collected a fire flower and another hidden mushroom and then she managed to find the warp zones. She decided to go down the one that said "World 3". As she played through World 3-1, she found a beanstalk that gave a buck ton of coins. As she made it to the end of level, she came across two turtles. Jumping over the first one, she jumped onto the second one and then she couldn't stop hitting it. The store clerk was getting impressed. _'She activated the infinite lives cheat on her first time...'_ he thought. After completing World 3, Haiku found herself in a race with an enemy that shot out red eggs that turned into spiky creatures when they land. Then as she entered World 4-2, she found the beanstalk that led to the second batch of warp zones. This time, she decides to go down the one called "World 8".

As she was progressing through the levels, Haiku and the clerk were blown away at how far she got and without losing a live. Then came the World 8-4, this was a tough level for some. But Haiku was determined. Even though she didn't get this far with Lincoln, she felt a sense of familiarity playing through. Then she faced Bowser Koopa for the last time. She shot fireball after fireball and then the rancid reptile went down. Then Haiku stepped on the axe to reveal Princess Toadstool. _'Did...I... just, beat the game?!'_ she thought in wonder.

'_She's no ordinary gamer...'_ the store clerk thought to himself.

Haiku then looked at the clerk, giving him a slightly nervous look. "So... What now? Did I pass the test or whatever it was? I mean, will you let me buy it?" The man smiled. "I'll do you one better, it's yours. Free of charge." Haiku's mouth dropped open as she looked at the clerk. Had she heard right? "Wait... Seriously? But why? I mean not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but this has to be pretty expensive."

"I insist. You have a gift. Back in my day, we would call kids like you 'Wizards'. You were able to complete this game with having little experience. And I know my friend will be very happy to know that his system went to a good home." Haiku couldn't help but to smile at the clerk's words. She was, to put lightly, thrilled and she couldn't believe that he was just giving it to her. "Thank you sir. I promise to take great care of it."

"I know you will" the clerk spoke out.

And with that, the clerk started turning off the system, taking it down to pack it up. While she waited, Haiku was still thinking about how absolutely amazing it was that he was just giving it to her for free... It rather blew her mind... She couldn't wait to tell Lincoln about it. The store clerk spoke up again, "And to help you start your collection, I would like to give you these games free of charge as well and I won't take no for an answer."

Haiku looked at the pile of games for herself, the copy of Super Mario Bros. that she was playing on, Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy and Tetris.

Haiku could feel herself getting more and more excited. This was really happening... She came for a quest and she got so much more out of it. She looked at the man, giving him a smile. "Thank you. Really, thank you. But are you sure there is nothing I can do to repay this?" The clerk merely smiles. "If you ever want more games or play in a match or even just to talk, don't be afraid to come back. Oh that reminds me, I also have three extra controllers for you since this system has 4 controller ports."

Haiku smiled at that. Maybe those other friends of Lincoln's would be interested in joining her and Lincoln. "Thank you sir." The clerk gave her a nod, handing her, her things. "You are welcome. Now I'm sure you would like to get home and start playing, am I right?"

Haiku nods. "Thank you so much for everything Mr..." "Phillips, Howard Phillips" the store clerk properly introduced himself. "Well, thank you Mr. Phillips. I promise to take care of this. I can't wait to show my friend. I don't think he'll believe this." Mr. Philips couldn't help but smirk. "I'm sure you and Lincoln will have fun" he casually commented. Haiku looked at him in surprise. "Wait... How do you know his name? I never said it..."

"When you talked about a making a friend that owned a NES, there was only one person I knew off the top of my head...and the fact that he's my best customer. And there's the little fact of you whispered his name just before you started the game" Mr. Philips explained himself.

Haiku slowly nodded, understanding. "Oh, I see" now feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Well, I really should get going. And thank you so much for trusting me. Really, you don't know who much this means to me." "I hope you and Lincoln have fun. He's a good kid, and he knows talent when he sees it." Mr. Philips told the little sorceress. Haiku gave him a small nod, moving to grab her things. She wasn't really sure what he meant by "knowing talent". But for now, she was alright with that.

After all she had to get going, to set up her new system.

Maybe tomorrow she could call Lincoln and talk to him about it. She turned her head, giving Mr. Phillips a smile. "Well, I know I've said this a lot, but really, thank you. I hope to see you again soon. Maybe I'll be with Lincoln next time. He seems to be really interested in games and I want to get to know him better. Goodbye sir." And with that said, Haiku left slinging her bag over her shoulder.

Haiku considered this quest completed and plus some. She couldn't wait to try out her new games.

* * *

**(Later that day…)**

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: the Patterson residence)**

Haiku was in her room, smiling to herself as she set up her new system, still finding it hard to believe what had just happened. She couldn't wait to find Lincoln tomorrow, to tell him about what had happened and to invite him to her home so they could play. _'Best...day...ever!'_ she thought to herself.

As soon as she finished hooking the system up, she decided to pop in the Final Fantasy cartridge to see what it was about. And she couldn't help but to smile when the music started to play. She found it surprisingly appropriate based on the day's events. One epic quest finished, now onto another. One filled with fun and adventure and most of all, one of friendship. She couldn't wait to share it all with Lincoln.

"My friend" she whispers.

* * *

**(The next day…)**

* * *

We find Haiku lying on her bed on her stomach as she's playing Tetris, which she found to be highly addicting. And she has slight bags under her eyes indicating that she's been up for quite some time now playing.

As she focused all of her attention on the game, she didn't notice her mother walking into her room.

Then Georgia did the unthinkable, and turned off the game console. Haiku blinked twice. "Oh, hi mom" she greeted her mother while letting out a big yawn. Georgia on the other hand, shook her head.

But then remembered why she came up here in the first place.

"You have a visitor" she told her in a slight oversweet tone. This peeks the little sorceress's interest. "Who?" she asks her mother. Georgia smiled. "I'll give you a hint. He's kind, wears a lot of orange and he's got hair whiter than the driven snow." That last part made Haiku jump out of her bed in a frenzy.

"OHMYGODLINCONISHERE?!WHYDIDN'TYOUTELLMESOONER?ICAN'T LETHIMSEEMELIKETHIS!"

Then she raced into the bathroom and took a shower and brushed her teeth in record time. Then she stripped off her pjs and then jumped into her everyday outfit. "How do I look?" she asks her mother.

Georgia chucked, "Like you didn't play a video game all night" she answered.

The little sorceress clamped her hands together. "Excellent" she says and then she proceeds to walk downstairs to meet her visitor with Georgia following close behind.

* * *

Meanwhile, we find the snow haired child quietly waiting for Mrs. Patterson to return with Haiku.

Just then, he heard footsteps coming closer and closer. He turned his head and saw the little sorceress and her mom. The Loud boy quickly got up from the sofa and walked over to Haiku.

"Hey" he tells her with a smile. "Hi" she says while lightly blushing. "How did you know where I live?" "I looked up the name Patterson in the phone book" Lincoln confessed. "Once I had the address, I asked Lori if she could drive me and she was more than happy to."

"Would you like anything to drink Lincoln?" Georgia asks. "I'm good Mrs. Patterson, but thank you for offering" Lincoln tells her. "Well I'll be in the kitchen making some lunch then. Are you planning on staying for long?" "For as long as Haiku will have me" the snow haired child joked. Georgia couldn't help but laugh.

"I like you, you're funny. Have fun you too" and then she walked away into the kitchen.

Then Lincoln turned to the little sorceress. "Your mom's really cool" he tells her. "Yeah she is…" she mumbles. "So, what do you want to do now?" she asks her guest. "Well, I was thinking you could show me your room. Fair trade after all" the snow haired child suggested. "I'd be happy to show you" Haiku replied with a smile.

With that, the kids made the walk all the way up to the attic.

* * *

Haiku opened her door back up and let Lincoln walk in first. And he was in complete awe. In short, her bedroom basically looked like a paradise for witches and warlocks.

"This is incredible" the snow haired child breathed.

"You really like it?" Haiku asks. All Lincoln could do at the moment was wordlessly nod. "My sister Lucy would love to have a room like this" he comments. "Really?" Haiku asks. "Oh yeah" Lincoln answers.

Then the snow haired child's sight landed on the flat screen television…and the game console that was hooked up to hit. Lincoln turned to Haiku, "I thought you said yesterday that you've never played video games before?" This caught the little sorceress by surprise. "It's still true" she answers. "Then how do you explain that?" Lincoln then pointed to the AVS console that was still hooked up.

"Wait, I can explain!" she says frantically, not wanting Lincoln to think she lied to him.

She then explained in full detail of yesterday about going to the mall and then being at the video game store and then being challenged to a game of Super Mario Bros. and how she managed to beat the game by herself and not die once and then the store owner just giving her the console along with controllers and a pile of games to get her started. After that, the little sorceress needed to take a breath after that explanation.

"I believe you" Lincoln stated. "You do?" Haiku asks with hopefulness. Lincoln merely nodded. "Once in a blue moon, Howard will reward someone with a gift if he deems the person to be of good character and an exceptional player" he explains. Haiku now felt more honored than ever for Mr. Philips giving her the console for free. "So…" Lincoln drawled out, "What games did he give you?" he asks. Haiku then opened a cabinet to reveal the cartridges that she received and then showed the copy of Tetris that's currently in the system.

The snow haired child whistled in admiration. "Impressive, he gave you quite the start up collection" he tells the little sorceress. "Would…you like to play a game?" she asks in a knowing tone.

Lincoln smiles, "I thought you would never ask."

For about half an hour, the two were engrossed in a round of Super Mario Bros. 3. And the Loud boy was surprised at Haiku's dominance over him. She was all the way in World 8 with Luigi while he's only at World 4 as Mario. After using up all of his lives, Lincoln just sat back and enjoyed the show.

He wanted to see Haiku make it to the end. He always found it funny how in this game, you have to let Bowser fall to his death on his own instead of directly hitting him with fireballs or jumping on his head. And unsurprisingly, the little sorceress beat Bowser within a record timing no less. Lincoln then gave Haiku a standing ovation while she in return, was trying and failing to hide her blushing cheeks.

Just then, Haiku's mom came up to tell them that lunch is ready. Both the snow haired child and the little sorceress' stomachs growled. They decided that it was a good time to take a break.

* * *

After having a nice lunch grilled cheese sandwiches and chocolate milk, the kids returned upstairs.

"Don't ever tell my dad this, but your mom's grilled cheese sandwiches are better than his" the snow haired child commented. The little sorceress replied by doing the scouts honor symbol.

"So, what do you want to do now?" she asks her guest.

Lincoln had to think for a moment. As much as he wanted to keep playing games, he had something else in mind. "How about showing me a magic trick or two…" he commented. This caught the little sorceress by surprise. "How did you…" "You don't have a room like this without having some kind of experience dabbling in the black arts" Lincoln explains while cutting Haiku off mid-sentence.

Lincoln's logic made sense. The little sorceress sighed, "You got me. My biggest passion in life is magic. I like believing I can do things like cast spells or brew potions. My other hobbies include writing poetry specifically haikus hence my nickname, my favorite kind of books are fantasy novels and I enjoy classic horror/monster movies." Lincoln listened closely as he gained a deeper perspective on his new friend.

"But I am proud to say that I like video games as well, at least the older ones that is" she finishes.

"That's really cool" Lincoln commented. "You mean it?" Haiku asks in a hopeful tone. "I do. I remember going through a magic phase when I was younger. One Halloween, I dressed up like an old fashioned magician and used my stuffed rabbit as a prop." Haiku slightly giggled as she imagined a little Lincoln Loud dressed up like a stage magician. "You really would like to see some magic?" she asks. The loud boy nodded.

"Then I need a few minutes to prepare" the little sorceress tells her guest.

**(A few minutes later…)**

Lincoln eagerly sat criss crossed on the floor, waiting for Haiku to perform a little act.

"Wonder, marvel and excitement await! Put your hands together for Haiku the Enchantress!" in true showmanship, the little sorceress used a purple smoke bomb to make her grand entrance.

The snow haired child gave her a round of applause. Haiku smiled. "For my first trick, I shall need a member from the audience." Then she faux scopes the room in search of a volunteer, she then laid her eyes on Lincoln and then pointed right at him. "You my good sir have been chosen" she tells him.

The Loud boy stood up and walked where she was and then Haiku cleared her throat.

"Now then" the little sorceress continued, "do you have a coin I could borrow?" she asks. By coincidence, Lincoln managed to find a stray quarter in his pocket. He then hands it over to Haiku who then grips it in her fist and then with her other hand she pulls out the long curved stick from earlier. She waves it around and then opens up her hand to reveal that the quarter has disappeared.

Then Haiku waves the stick in front of Lincoln and then pointed it straight in his face.

She then pulled something out of his ear, "Is this your coin?" she asks. "That was amazing" the snow haired child commented. "Thank you, thank you" The little sorceress bowed in appreciation.

"Now for my next trick, I shall need special ingredients." Haiku then used her stick now more identified as a magic wand, to conjure up a table with a medium sized briefcase and a wide wooden bowl. She then opened the case and pulled out several bottles. Lincoln just stared in wonder and marvel at this process.

Haiku opened the bottles she pulled out and then poured the contents in the wooden bowl.

Then she took hold of her wand. "Oh great magic wand of ancient eyes…" she chanted, "Show thy true colors!" And then the contents of the bowl exploded in a big loud **(no pun intended)** boom and caused Lincoln to fall to the ground, he didn't get to see the orange heart shaped cloud that formed after the explosion.

Haiku on the other hand, was taking another bow as she had no idea that the Loud boy was on the floor holding his ears in pain. But then the little sorceress looked over the table and then started to freak out.

"Oh my god, LINCOLN!" she yelled, "MOM! I NEED HELP!" she cried.

* * *

**(…)**

* * *

In Lincoln's world, all he could hear is the obnoxious ringing that's been in his eardrums for the last 4 years but this time it was louder than ever. He could hear the muffled sounds of Haiku calling out to her mother.

Then he saw Mrs. Patterson rush in trying to assert the situation before attempting to anything.

He thinks that Haiku is explaining his tinnitus to her mother in hopes that will help her. After Haiku was done talking, Georgia picked Lincoln up bridal style and then placed him on her daughter's bed. The muffled voices started to become clearer. "Lincoln" he heard Georgia call out to him. "If you can hear me, I need to close your eyes and relax your muscles." The snow haired child followed her instructions. "Good. Now close your mouth, and slowly breathe through your nose." Lincoln did that as well, this part continued for a solid minute.

Afterwards, the ringing went back down to its normal low hum.

"Thank you…" he croaked out. Both Georgia and Haiku breathed a sigh of relief. "Now, would either of you two care to explained what happened?" the matriarch asks in a stern parental tone.

Haiku gulped and then proceeded to explain everything to her mother.

"And then after the smoke cleared, that's when I saw him on the floor" she confessed. Georgia then looked over to Lincoln who then nodded in conformation. "It's not all Haiku's fault" the Loud boy spoke up, "I should've known better than to stand so close to the bowl."

Georgia took Lincoln's statement into consideration. "I think it's time for Lincoln to go home." Neither Lincoln nor Haiku had it in them to argue with that. So Lincoln pulled out his phone to call Lori to come pick him up.

* * *

After some time, Vanzilla rolled up to the house.

Both Georgia and Haiku escorted Lincoln out to the vehicle. Lincoln gave his goodbyes and told the little sorceress that he'll see her at school. Haiku wordlessly nodded, she felt so guilty for what she had done.

The guilt was worsened by the fact Lincoln had begged Georgia to not say anything to Lori.

He was afraid that she would overreact and never let him come here or let him hang out with Haiku ever again. At first, the mother and daughter thought the boy was exaggerating. But the look in his eyes said that he was dead serious. So then they agreed to keep quiet about the incident.

They watched the van drive away until they couldn't visibly see it. Then they went back inside the house.

* * *

During dinner, Georgia and Haiku had a long discussion.

She chided her daughter for being so irresponsible with explosives. And then told her that she was lucky that she was able to stable Lincoln when she did otherwise, his hearing would be even more damaged.

Haiku started to tear up at the thought. She never wanted to hurt him.

Georgia didn't like being this hard on her daughter, but she needed to. And Haiku needed to know that these kinds of actions have consequences. Which is why she banned her daughter from using her "ingredients" until she felt like she learned the importance of using them responsibly.

Haiku thought it was a reasonable punishment considering that her mom could've said that she couldn't see Lincoln anymore. They spend the rest of dinner in total silent, only sound was the clanking of silverware.

* * *

After dinner, the mother and daughter skipped TV time since neither were in the mood for it.  
So they decided to turn in early and they both started their nighttime routines.

Georgia hated being so hard on her daughter, but that's the down part of parenting. Especially when you're on your own. "It's for her own good…" she whispered to herself.

Haiku held no ill will to her mother; she knew that she screwed up. She accepted her punishment because she knew that she deserved it. The worst part of it all was that for the first time in her life, she made a friend. And she hurt him. It would be a long time before she forgave herself. "Lincoln, please forgive me…" she whispered.

* * *

**(Later that night…)**

Haiku was tossing and turning in her bed, while incoherently mumbling in her sleep.

**-Enter: Dream Sequence-**

_She was running away from something in this dark seemingly never-ending void. As she was running, there were voices screaming at her. "YOU KILLED HIM!" "YOU'RE NEXT!" they chanted. Then Haiku tripped on her dress and fell flat on her face. The angry voices grew closer and closer._

_The little sorceress then hugged her knees and slowly rocked back and forth praying for this to end._

_But then a white aura rose from the ground. __Haiku's eyes darted to the form it took. First, the aura formed legs, and then built a body and arms, a white cloud surrounding it. However, when the form gained a head and a face, her heart dropped.__"L… Lincoln?" Her voice was barely a whisper as the ghostly apparition nodded. "Is that you?"__Stood or rather, floating before her was the ghostly form of Lincoln Loud, with blank white eyes._

_But then the ghostly apparition grew an angry look on its face._

"_You killed me…" the ghost growled. Haiku was even more frightened. "And you're next…" he growled._

_The ghostly Loud boy picked the little sorceress bridal style and flew her to an open unmarked grave that opened by itself to reveal hellfire and the cackling sounds of demons. Then the ghost boy simply dropped the girl into the pit. "I'm sorry… I'M SORRY!" she screamed out as she was falling to her demise._

**-End of Dream Sequence-**

"AAAAAAAAAAARGH!" She screamed, falling out of the bed. Out of impulse, she jumped to her feet. Haiku was back in her bedroom, in the middle of the night. Normally, when she had a nightmare, the little sorceress would realize this and begin to calm herself back down.

However, she couldn't. Not this time.

_'What's happening?'_ she thought, though she could barely hear her own thoughts over the ringing in her ear.

Her head was drenched in sweat, she was burning up, and her heart was racing at an alarming rate, causing her to shake. Her eyes were wide, dilated, panicked and fearful.

_'I don't… feel good.'_

She felt dizzy, causing her to put her hands on her desk to try and steady herself, but her trembling arms and legs did little to help that. _'What's… what's happening?!'_ She felt numb all over, apart from a nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach and a pain in her chest. Her face frowned as her fear grew, before her chair tipped under her shaking, causing her to fall to the floor, though she barely felt it.

_'Am I… am I dying?'_

Her head turned to the door as it burst open, the sudden burst of light catching his attention. She could hear a voice, but it was muffled by the still present ringing in her ear. Looking up through blurry sight, she was just able to tell it was Georgia, who crouched down next to her, a fearful look on her face.

"Sweetie!" She screamed, loud enough for her to discern her words. Her eyes were tearing up heavily. "Are you okay?" Haiku suddenly felt cold. And though she wanted to, Haiku couldn't reach out to her mom. "H-h-help m-me… I don't… I don't want to d-die…" she croaked out.

Georgia first examined Haiku's eyes, noticing the blatant panic in them. She observed her sweating forehead, placing a hand against her cheek to check how warm she was, before checking her pulse. Letting her hand go, _'panic attack' _the mother thought to herself. She knew that she had to act quickly.

'_I need to get her to calm down.'_ She then tells her daughter to breathe deeply and slowly. Kept telling her that she isn't going to die, and that this will be over soon. Georgia then carefully moved herself and Haiku to the bathroom and fills up a cup up with water. She instructed her daughter to drink which she did.

Georgia was able to get Haiku lied against her, with her arm around him. "You're doing great sweetie" she assured her daughter. "Just keep breathing slowly, in through the nose, and out through the mouth."

"I… I-I'm scared," the little sorceress admitted, breaking the mother's heart in the process.

You're gonna be okay sweetheart" she managed to choke out. "You're not going to die; you're going to be fine. I am here for you. You just need to breath. Okay?" "O-okay…"

"Alright. Breathe in." They both breathed in deeply through their noses. "And out." They then breathed out slowly through their mouths. Georgia coached her through it, helping her daughter to maintain a steady pace. It took some time, but she was able to feel her trembling begin to quell itself.

'_Her shaking is stopping, but she's still really warm.'_ She looked at her daughter, whose eyes were slowly drooping. _'The stress has worn her out; she needs a moment to come around.'_

Georgia sighed, feeling calmer when she saw her daughter's chest rising and falling. "It's okay sweetie" she whispered. "You're gonna be okay." She placed a hand against her cheek, which was bright pink and still very warm. "You're okay." After a little while, she lifted Haiku and the she placed her gently onto her bed.

Then she quickly fetched a cold, wet rag to place on her head, but other than this, neither Georgia nor Haiku moved or said anything for about twenty minutes. The worrying mother continued to monitor her daughter; she sat on the bed next to her. It wasn't until she felt her moving that she felt on edge.

"M-Mama?" Haiku asked, looking a little lost as she sat up. "I-Is that you?"

Georgia nodded, tears beginning to flow again. "I'm right here sweetie" she told her. "How do you feel?" "Weird… what happened to me?" "You experienced a panic attack" Georgia explained, prompting Haiku to look at her mom. She in return, looked at her daughter with a mix of concern and relief. "No one knows what the exact cause is for them, but they are often influenced by a stimulus that causes anxiety or fear, hence the name" she explains. "Oh" Haiku drawled out. "You really had me worried sweetie" Georgia told her daughter.

Haiku's eyes widened. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to worry you-"

"Hildegard, stop." The little sorceress looked up to her mother after she said this, seeing the pain in her eyes. She doesn't call her by her full name unless it was serious. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I worry for you no matter what, because you are my daughter. I love you so much." She hugged him closely, while she didn't say anything. After a few minutes, Georgia let go of the hug.

"Did you have a nightmare?" she asks her daughter with slight caution. Haiku nodded in conformation. "Do you want to talk about it?" The little sorceress wasn't exactly keen on reliving it; but she owed her mom the truth. So she explained her trauma in full gruesome detail.

Afterwards, all Georgia could do was gently stroke her daughter's hair in an attempt to soothe her.

"Thanks mom. For calming me down, and…just being there when I needed you" Haiku mutters. "I always will sweetie" Georgia assured her daughter. "Do you want me to say with you?" she asks. The little sorceress nodded, not wanting to be alone. So then the mother climbed underneath the covers and then she hugged her daughter once more as they both slowly drifted back to sleep. Hopefully with no nightmares this time.

One thing for sure though, Haiku's not so sure how to approach Lincoln when she's at school tomorrow.

* * *

**(The next day…)**

* * *

**(Location: Royal Woods Elementary school)  
(Lunchtime)**

Haiku walks through the rows of tables with her head down and a sullen aura surrounding her.

She still feels horrible about the events from yesterday. She wanted to talk to Lincoln about it, but she couldn't bring herself to face up to him. _'He probably never wants to talk to me ever again'_ she sadly thought.

Just then, something unexpected happened.

"Hey Haiku, over here!" a voice called out to her. The little sorceress in question her head up and saw Lincoln and his other friends and he's smiling and waving to her. This perplexed the little girl. She thought for certain that she would never see him again. But here he is, and he's waving to her no less. Like nothing happened.

None of the less, the little sorceress found herself walking towards the snow haired child's table.

As she approached the table, she felt her heart rate increase. Sweat dripping from her forehead. She felt like hyperventilating. Then she was standing right in front of Lincoln and his other friends.

"H-Hi…" she croaked out.

"Come sit with us" Lincoln tells her. Haiku was flabbergasted, but she couldn't say no and she sat right next to the snow haired child. "So, how have you been?" the Loud boy asks. Haiku couldn't take it anymore.

"I don't get it?" she blurts out. Then she turned to directly face the snow haired child. "You should be absolutely furious with me. But here you are talking like nothing happend the other day. Why aren't you mad at me?!" "It's quite simple" Jordan spoke up, "he's Lincoln." Haiku tilts her head in confusion at the braided lass' explanation. But then Lincoln said something in his defense. "Life is too dang short to be dwelling on the bad parts big or small. I know what happened was just an accident. I know that you didn't intend to hurt me. And I know you're a good person deep down. So I want you to stop beating yourself up."

Haiku didn't know what to say in that moment.

"Lincoln filled us in on what happened" Kat spoke up. "While I wasn't a fan of hearing the explosion flared up his tinnitus, I believe him and you that it was an accident and not intentional." "Lincoln doesn't have a petty bone in his body" Jordan added. "He's the easiest going person I've ever met" Liam commented.

"We all make mistakes Haiku, its how you handle yourself afterwards is what counts" Lincoln adds.

Haiku was at a loss, she felt like everything was moving too fast.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm dying to hear about this fancy console that Lincoln bragged to us" Kat commented in an attempt to change the subject, and it totally worked.

The little sorceress then began relaying the whole story from playing on Lincoln's system at his house to then going to the mall and receiving her console free of charge. Lincoln and the others were hanging on to her every word like she was this master storyteller that was recalling an epic adventure.

Haiku didn't exactly know what the future held for her. But if it includes Lincoln and the others, she was a-okay with it. And that's the day the group gained its fifth and most magical member.

* * *

**(Next time…)**  
"Only at the Movies"

* * *

**Lincoln's playlist:**

"Season of the Witch" by Donovan  
"Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely" by Backstreet Boys  
"One" by Three Dog Night  
"Mr. Lonely" by Bobby Vinton  
"Nintendo Quest Opening Titles" by John McCarthy  
"Baby You're My Light" by Richard Hawley  
**(cover)** "Do You Believe in Magic?" by BBMak

* * *

**AN: So, I feel like I need to explain myself. The main reason I wrote Haiku the way I did is because I wanted to experiment with her character. In the s4 episode "A Grave Mistake", it was revealed that she had only been a goth for a year. And that has made me wonder what she was like beforehand. So what I basically did was blend what she's known for and what I wanted to experiment with.**

**If anyone has questions they want answers to, please feel free to PM me.**


	13. Only at the Movies

***Disclaimer* I do not own The Loud House. All rights reserved.**

* * *

**AN: So here I am, I needed a break after the mammoth that was the previous chapter. This is a rewrite of the s1 episode "The Price of Admission" with a few surprise twists.**

* * *

**(Recap)**

The next few days were a real game changer for Haiku.

In the short amount of time she got to meet all of Lincoln's sisters, she took a real liking to Lucy since they share interests in supernatural culture. Jordan invited her over to her house to indulge in a few fighting games and much to the braided lass' surprise, the little sorceress dominated in each game…but the funniest part of that story is the fact that she kept a calm poker face during each match especially on Mortal Kombat.

When Liam invited her up to the farm, his family was rather shocked by her appearance…but then they warmed up to her as they watched her interact with all the farm animals and how at peace they seemed. The country asked her how she does it; she replied by saying "I've always had this unique gift with animals."

And things at school were looking up as well. She was a lot more open to being social to not only her friends, but also to her fellow classmates in passing. And Haiku just felt happier in general.

She wanted to repay Lincoln and co. for extending their friendship to her, and she found an opportunity.

* * *

**(Date: October 28, 2016)  
(Location: the Royal Woods cinema)**

We find Lincoln and co. looking at a poster for the film that Haiku bought tickets for.

It's the 1968 George Romero classic, Night of the Living Dead. "Have to say it's nice that the theater's doing a throwback for old horror movies" Kat comments. Lincoln and Liam nod in an agreement, while Jordan looked rather unimpressed. "Mmm, I don't know. It doesn't look scary to me" she says.

"Fear is a relative word" Haiku spoke up, and made the braided lass yelp in surprise.

"I know this might not be everyone's cup of tea, but this is one of my personal favorite movies and I wanted to share it with all of you as way of saying thank you for welcoming me into your group" the little sorceress explained. Who could say no to her after that? "Well Halloween is in a couple of days" the snow haired child mused, "it could be fun to kick things off with a scary movie." The others saw the logic in that.

So then the gang walks into the screening room with popcorn and drinks in toll.

* * *

**(96 minutes later…)**

* * *

As everyone was walking out of the screening room talking about how they enjoyed the frighteningly wonderful film, a certain snow haired child and his band of misfits were sharing their opinions.

"That…was certainly something" Lincoln commented, while looking like he ate too much candy the day after Halloween. "I'm definitely sleeping with the shotgun tonight" Liam muttered. "I still feel bad for Ben because he got shot under suspicion" Haiku commented while munching innocently on the leftover bag of popcorn, "some say that was a jab at the kind of discrimination of the 60s which I can see their point." Meanwhile, Kat and Jordan were still looking shell shocked. "Hey, you two okay?" Lincoln asks with concern.

The girls in question, blinked once before finally snapping out of their stupor.

"Uh, I… thought the movie was great" the blue haired lass fibbed, while Jordan wordlessly nodded in agreement. "Really, what was your favorite part?" Haiku asks with curiosity.

"Uh…" Kat had to think fast, "I liked how the whole film was shot in black and white" she quickly answered. "Yeah" Jordan agreed, "It was like a cool throwback to really old movies that couldn't shoot in color" she answers while slightly sweating. Haiku sensed that there was something that they weren't saying, but didn't vocalize it. "Okay then" she merely says. _'They can tell me when they're ready'_ she thought to herself.

Just then, everyone's phones vibrated. They all received texts from their respective families telling them that they should come home soon. Soon after, Lori came to pick up Lincoln. Mee Maw McGee came to pick up Liam and Georgia came to pick up Haiku. Then Kirby came to pick up both Kat and Jordan. The braided lass asked if she could say over for the night. The blue haired lass had no objection to that as long as both of their parents were cool with it. Jordan quickly texted her mom back and then Mrs. Rosato gave the okay.

They quickly made a pit stop at the Rosato residence so Jordan could pick up a few necessities.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: the Ketchum residence, Kat's room)**

"Oh my GOD that movie was utterly terrifying!" the blue haired lass exclaimed in fear. "You think Liam would let us borrow a shotgun?" Jordan asks while she's on the floor hugging her knees and rocking back and forth.

This decompression session lasted for a good 15 minutes, and then they both finally calmed down.

_**KNOCK-KNOCK**_

Kat and Jordan slightly jumped at the sudden noise, but then quickly calmed back down when they saw that it was Mrs. Ketchum checking up on them. "Sorry if I scared you" she says apologetically. "Its fine mom" Kat commented. "I came up to tell you two that dinner is ready" the matriarch announced as the girls' stomachs growled. "We'll be down in a few minutes mom" Kat says. Catlin nodded to her daughter and then went back downstairs. "Not gonna lie, I'm surprised that I'm hungry after that horror show" Jordan muttered.

* * *

**(Dinnertime…)**

Kat and Jordan were surprisingly quiet all through the meal, which make Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum slightly concerned since Chef Louie made one of their daughter's favorite dishes.

"So" Richard decided to break the ice, "how was everyone's day?" he asks. "Fine" both Kat and Jordan spoke in monotone unison. "How was the movie you saw with your friends?"Catlin asks while unintentionally addressing the elephant in the room. Both Kat and Jordan slightly winced but went unnoticed.

"It was okay" Jordan spoke up, "It was one of those old throwback films like from the 60s." Kat nodded in conformation to the braided lass' statement. Fortunately for them, Jordan's answer was enough for the adults and then the rest of dinner went on rather smoothly and Kat and Jordan tried very hard to keep their composure. _'The one time I can't fully enjoy meaty marinara pasta…'_ the blue haired lass thought to herself.

* * *

After dinner, the girls decided to indulge in some video games to pass the time in hopes that it would take their minds off of the movie. Games like; Super Mario Bros. 3, Tetris, Super Mario World, Super Mario Kart, Crash Bandicoot, Mega Man 2 and even Street Fighter 2.

Unfortunately though, Kat's parents came in and told them that it was time for bed. The girls weren't too thrilled by that, but ultimately turned off the games and then proceeded to get ready for bedtime.

* * *

**(Kat's room)**

After doing their nighttime rituals, both Kat and Jordan were far from ready to fall asleep. So to pass the time, they quietly read books and then watched a few shows off of the blue haired lass' tablet. It still wasn't quite enough though. They tried again and Jordan even sneaked into the kitchen to make some warm milk in hopes that will calm their nerves and help them go to sleep. But even that wasn't enough.

To make matters worse, it was quite windy outside and there were a lot of strange noises as a result.

* * *

**(Later that night…)**

* * *

It was a quarter past midnight and unfortunately, Kat and Jordan were still wide awake.

The two were huddled together on the blue haired lass' bed clad in pajamas and makeshift armor to protect themselves from pending zombie hordes. "Do you think this will be enough?" Jordan asks while gripping tightly to a garden rake. "I hope so" Kat answers while hugging a baseball bat.

A few minutes later, the two were starting to get drowsy but were still fighting it.

"We can't live like this…" a very tired Kat muttered. "What should we do?" Jordan asked. "I think we need some professional advice" the blue haired lass commented as she grabs her phone and began dialing a number. _'Please, please pick up…'_ Kat thought to herself

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: the Loud house, Lincoln's room)**

_**RRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGG**_

The snow haired child tried to grab his phone and see who was calling at this ungodly hour.

"Whoever you are, you better have a real good excuse for calling before the sun is up…" he grumbled as he didn't look at the caller I.D. _**"Sorry Lincoln, I know it's pretty late"**_ Kat apologized. The Loud boy's demeanor softened up as he registered the voice on the other end. "Kat, do you have any idea what time it is?" he asks softly while still stern. _**"I know I know, but Jordan and I can't sleep"**_ she answers.

Lincoln then put two and two together. "This wouldn't have anything to do with the movie we watched, does it?" he asks in a knowing tone. The blue haired lass sighed and that was all the Loud boy needed to hear.

"I don't think I'm the one who you should be talking to" he tells his scared friend.

"_**You're right; do you think she'll be mad?"**_ Kat asks. "I think she'll be more mad if you keep lying to not only her but to yourself" he tells her. _**"Wish us luck, goodnight Lincoln"**_ Kat tells the Loud boy. "Night Kat, Night Jordan" Lincoln says. With that, the snow haired child hung up and then went back to sleep rather quickly.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: Ketchum residence, Kat's room)**

Meanwhile, Kat put her phone down and sighed once more. "Lincoln says we should tell Haiku the truth" she confessed. Jordan slightly winced, "Do we have to?" she asks. "I think so unless we want to live in complete fear for the rest of our lives" Kat answers. Jordan did not like that scenario one little bit.

The blue haired lass grabbed her phone once more and dialed another number.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: Patterson residence, Haiku's room)**

Surprisingly, the little sorceress found herself having trouble falling asleep as well. She couldn't stop thinking about how fidgety Kat and Jordan seemed after coming out of the movie theater.

'_They wouldn't lie to me, right?'_ she thought to herself.

_**RRRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGG**_

Haiku then looked over to her phone and read the caller I.D. _'I guess they're ready now'_ she thought. She pressed accept and then saw both Kat and Jordan on the screen with very sheepish and humbled expressions.

"Hello" the little sorceress politely spoke. "Hey Haiku, sorry to bother you so early in the morning" Kat spoke. "Actually, I've been awake for quite some time now" she admitted. "You have?" Jordan asked with concern. "Yes. To be honest, I can't stop thinking about how off the two of you were acting when we all left the movie theater." Kat and Jordan gulped, this was it. No turning back now.

"There's a reason for that. The truth is, we didn't like the movie as much as we said we did" the blue haired lass confessed while the braided lass nodded in agreement. Haiku was silent for a minute, which made the girls quite nervous. "I…" the little sorceress began, "was wondering when you two would come clean."

Both Kat and Jordan were taken back by Haiku's initial response.

"How did you-?" "I had my suspicions" Haiku cut Kat off. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?" she asks. The blue haired lass sighed. "We didn't want to upset you" she told the little sorceress, "you were so excited to share your favorite movie with us. But the truth is that we're terrified of it. We can't sleep because we're afraid of zombies coming in and eating our flesh." Haiku took a moment to let Kat's confession sink in.

"It's okay" she tells her friends, "I remember the first time I watched it and I went through a period of being afraid of zombie attacks. But when I watched it the second time around I wasn't focused on the attacks, I found myself looking at the different aspects such as how the surviving humans interacted with each other or like you said how the film being shot in black and white. Then over time, I watched other horror movies and found myself not focusing on the blood and gore but on the amount of work in the film's stories/dialogue and special effects. My point is that to don't need to be afraid of horror movies because at the end of the day, it's still not real." Kat and Jordan took a moment to let Haiku's words sink in.

"Thank you Haiku, I think we really needed to hear that" Jordan spoke with sincerity.

"My pleasure" the little sorceress replies, "I think I'm ready to try to go back to sleep know and I think you two should do the same." "That sounds like the best idea anyone's had all night" the blue haired lass commented while Jordan nodded in agreement. "Goodnight Haiku" the two spoke.

"Goodnight girls and remember, zombies aren't real." Haiku ended the video call and put her phone back on the charger and then laid back down on her bed. _'I hope those two will able to sleep better now'_ she thought to herself. And then she closed her eyes and slowly drifted off to dreamland.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: Ketchum residence, Kat's room)**

The blue haired lass then put her phone on its charger and then looked over to her cohort.

"I don't know about you, but that went a lot better than I expected it to" Jordan commented. "Agreed" Kat sighed. The girls then proceed to take off their makeshift armor and returned the baseball bat and rake to their proper places. Afterwards, Kat turned on her special nightlight and turned off her lamp and then climbed into her bed while Jordan got comfortable in her sleeping bag.

"Are you okay down there?" The blue hair lass asked. "Yeah" Jordan answered. "If you need to come up here, don't hesitate" Kat tells her friend. "Thank you" Jordan breathed. About 30 seconds later, Kat felt something moving and then she turned her head to find Jordan climbing into the bed.

"There's safety in numbers" the braided lass sheepishly explained

Kat couldn't argue with that in any capacity. "Goodnight Jordan." "Goodnight Kat." With that, the two finally closed their eyes and drifted off into a rather peaceful slumber after all that has happened today.

* * *

**(Next time…)**  
"My Longest Day"

* * *

**Lincoln's playlist:**

"Pretend We're Dead" by L7  
"Stop, I'm Already Dead" by DeadboyElephantmen  
"Sally's Bedroom" by Alec Puro  
"Science Fiction/Double Feature (Reprise)" by Richard O'Brien

* * *

**AN: I have to be honest, this chapter turned out vastly different than what I originally envisioned. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I liked writing this chapter and my only regret is not getting this out sooner.**


	14. My Longest Day

***Disclaimer* I do not own The Loud House. All rights reserved**

* * *

**AN: So, this is loosely inspired by an arc from the famous comic strip "Peanuts". I'll explain myself more at the end of the chapter.**

* * *

"Carry on my wayward son, for there'll be peace when you are done. Lay your weary head to rest, don't you cry no more."  
**\- Kansas**

* * *

**(Date: October 29, 2016)  
(Location: Royal Woods hospital)**

The sounds of intercoms, doctors shuffling around and heart rate machines were imminent.

'_So this is what it's like to be waiting in the emergency room'_ Lincoln Loud thought to himself as he laid in a hospital bed all alone, _'I wonder if I'm dying? Would the doctors tell me if I'm dying? If I'm not dying…am I already dead? I wonder if they'd tell me…'_ Now you're probably wondering how the snow haired child ended up in this predicament. Well, allow me to explain this daring tale.

* * *

**(Earlier that day…)  
(Location: Ketchum Park)**

It felt like just any normal day, Lincoln and co. were having fun playing Frisbee with Lynn.

The athletic sister was in the mist of catching the disk, she managed to catch it but not before rolling onto the ground. Lynn tosses the Frisbee to Jordan. She catches it and tosses it to Liam who then sends it to Kay. The blue haired lass sees Haiku, so she then throws it to her. The little sorceress misses and then it flies off hits a tree, then the fountain, a car and then comes back to Haiku who manages to catch it before it hits the back of her head. "Whoa, nice one Haiku" Kat commented. "Aw, it was nothing…" Haiku muttered while trying to hide her blushing cheeks. Lynn took a moment to catch her breath, "Thanks for inviting me to your day at the park little bro" she tells Lincoln. "Think nothing of it, I know that you like coming here to play too" he tells her.

Their little game continued until Jordan's phone vibrated, she looked at it and saw it was lunchtime.

The braided lass then walked over to the picnic table where she kept a basket and the brought it over to the group. Jordan then pulled out a blanket for everyone to sit on and then proceeded to distribute everyone's meals. A peanut butter & sauerkraut sandwich for Lincoln, a tuna fish sandwich for Kat, a loose meat sandwich for Liam, a grilled cheese sandwich for Haiku and a meatball sub for Lynn.

"Eat up" Jordan tells everyone while she munches on her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

After finishing his sandwich, Lincoln got up to throw his wrapper in the nearest trash can. Then he saw a drinking fountain and decided to take a quick sip before returning to the group. As he walked back to the picnic table, the snow haired child's stomach began to churn. At first Lincoln was slightly concerned, but brushed it off when the churning stopped. _'It's probably nothing'_ he thought to himself.

* * *

**(Timeskip)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: the Loud House)**

After saying goodbye to his friends, Lincoln and Lynn walked up to the front porch.

Then all of a sudden, the snow haired child began to walk slower and slower. The athletic sister noticed this, "Linc, are you okay?" she asks with concern. "I-I-don't feel so good…" the Loud boy croaked out.

It then became harder for Lincoln to keep his balance, and then he collapsed to the ground. "Oh my god, LINCOLN!" Lynn yelled, "HELP! I NEED HELP!" she cried. The other sisters heard the athletic girl's cries and rushed outside and circled around Lynn and Lincoln. They noticed their brother looking pale and shaking.

Lori called 911 and then what felt like no time at all an ambulance rushed over and then rushed the snow haired child to the hospital. All the girls could do at that point was watch the ambulance drive away.

Rita, Lynn Sr and Lily had the van since they were visiting Pop-Pop.

'_I need to call mom and dad. The sooner they know, the better'_ the eldest sister thought. She then proceeded to call and waited for one of them to answer. _**"Lori?"**_ she heard her mom's voice ask. "Mom, something happened to Lincoln…" her voice was cracking and then she told her mother everything that happened.

* * *

**(Now…)  
(Location: Royal Woods hospital)**

And that's how ol' Lincoln Loud ended up in this predicament. When the medics rushed him to the emergency room, the doctors were baffled. None of them had seen a stomach virus quite like this.

'_First I was surrounded by doctors and nurses…now everyone's gone'_ the Loud boy thought, _'What's happening to me? Where'd everyone go? Am I incurable? Where are mom, dad and the girls? Is it possible that the doctors told them to wait so they could see what was wrong with me first? I guess I just have to wait and relax.'_

The snow haired child then began to hum a song that he used to listen to a long time ago.

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: the Loud House)**

The parents were sitting on the couch with pained expressions on their faces. When Lori told them what happened, they had to cut the visit with Pop-Pop short but the grandfather understood and told them that he sends his love and prayers to his only grandson in this frightening situation.

After getting home, they received a call from the hospital and the news was not what they had hoped to hear. The doctor asked if Lincoln could stay overnight for observation. Somehow, the parents said yes.

So now, they waited. However, the parents weren't the only ones shaken up by these turn of events.

* * *

**(with Lori and Leni)**

The oldest sister sat up on her bed hugging her knees and rocking herself back and forth. "This isn't happening…this isn't happening…" she muttered to herself over and over while trying and failing to fight off the tears.

The fashionista laid in a fetal position on her bed while hugging a pillow. Her head is spinning out of control on the inside. "Why…just, why…" she sobbed to no one in particular.

* * *

**(with Luna and Luan)**

The musically inclined sister found herself at her keyboard with her headphones on playing a familiar tune.

"When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me…speaking words of wisdom, let it be…" she sang softly, "And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me speaking words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be, let it be. Let it be, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom. Let it be."

Luna took in a long deep breath before continuing to sing.

"And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree. There will be an answer, let it be. For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see there will be an answer, let it be."

Luna's emotional walls began to crumble, her eyes began to water.

"Let it be, let it be. Let it be, let it be. Yeah, there will be an answer. Let it be. Let it be, let it be. Let it be, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom, let it be. Let it be, let it be. Let it be, yeah, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom. Let it be. And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me…shine until tomorrow, let it be. I wake up to the sound of music. Mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom let it be."

She couldn't take it anymore, and then she let it all out and sobbed while still singing.

"Let it be, let it be. Let it be, yeah, let it be. There will be an answer Let it be Let it be, let it be  
Let it be, yeah, let it be. There will be an answer, Let it be. Let it be, let it be. Let it be, yeah, let it be. Whisper words of wisdom…let it be…"

Afterwards, Luna put took her headphones off and put her head down while still lightly sobbing.

The comedian laid on her part of the bunk bed wearing her Groucho Marx glasses trying to write new jokes to tell Lincoln when he gets out of the hospital. She grew more frustrated at anything that she wrote down didn't feel right to her. She then threw the book and her glasses to the ground and then pulled a pillow to her face and screamed into it, the screams slowly turned into sobs of anguish and then to simply crying.

* * *

**(with Lynn and Lucy)**

The athlete had a slew of emotions coursing through her body; anger, fear, sadness and confusion. She channeled all those feelings into her punching bag. She also imagined the bag having the face of the doctor that told them that she couldn't see her only brother in his time of need.

The little goth in her fortune telling gear, is trying to communicate with spirits and asking them to watch over her big brother and also to say that she loves him and that she misses him and wants him home.

* * *

**(with Lana and Lola)**

The little grease monkey laid on her bed while being surrounded by all of the pets in an attempt to comfort her. "Big brother…" she lightly whimpered, "please come home…"

The little princess tried to host a tea party with her stuffed animals in hopes to calm her nerves. Unfortunately, it didn't work. She then gave her stuffed bear, Mr. Sprinkles a death grip-like hug. "Linky!" she yelled while her face was deep into the bear's chest. She didn't care that her toy was being soaked with her tears; all she wanted was for her big brother Lincoln home.

* * *

**(with Lisa and Lily)**

The little genius looked up to her Albert Einstein poster for some kind of guidance. "Older brother, please be okay…" she whispered. She hated not knowing what was going on, it tore her up inside.

The baby of the family bless her heart, picked up on something being terribly wrong. She felt sad because everyone else around her was sad. So she did the one thing she felt like she could so, take a nap and hope that everything would be better and happier when she woke up.

Meanwhile, the Loud parents continued to sulk on the sofa. Just then, they heard the house phone ring.

The matriarch rushed over, "Hello?!" she asks in a frantic tone hoping that it was the doctor. "Oh, hello Kat." Sadly it wasn't the doctor. _**"Sorry to bother you Mrs. Loud, but I tried to reach Lincoln's phone but it kept going straight to voicemail. I wanted to tell him that he forgot his Frisbee and I was coming over to return it"**_ the blue haired lass explained. Rita gulped, she didn't want to be the bearer of bad news but she had to in the moment. "Actually, Lincoln's not home right now…" she began. _**"Oh, where is he?"**_ Kat asks. Rita took a deep breath. "He is at Royal Woods hospital with an unknown stomach virus."

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: Ketchum residence, Kat's room)**

"Oh…I-I see…" young Katherine's voice began to crack.

"_**The doctors told us that they wanted to keep him there overnight because they don't know what caused it or how to treat it"**_ Rita explained while slightly breaking down. "Is there anything I can do?" she asks the distraught Loud mother. _**"To be honest, I don't know what anyone can do. I'm being told that I can't be with my son when he needs me the most because the doctors themselves don't know what to do." **_Kat couldn't take it anymore. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I need to tell the others about this" she tells Rita. _**"I understand" **_The Loud matriarch tells her, and then she ended the phone call.

The blue haired lass took a moment to take a deep breath, and then she called up the others to give them the news. _'I need to see him'_ she thought to herself, _'and I don't care who tries to stop me.'_

* * *

**(Timeskip…)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: Royal Woods hospital)**

Young Katherine rallied the rest of the group as they stormed the doors and charged their way to the front desk. The blue haired lass halted, which caused the other three to crash right behind her.

Meanwhile, the lady at the front desk looked down at in her mind was an unruly group of misfits.

"Can I help you?" she asks in a wary tone. Kat was the first to get up. "We're here to visit a patient by the name of Lincoln Loud" she stated. The lady then went to her computer to look up the information. "Ah yes, there he is. But according to the file it says visitations have been revoked due to not knowing if the patient's stomach virus is contagious I'm sorry." This saddened the group; they couldn't see their friend in need.

"Yes ma'am, we understand" Kat spoke up, "we'll be on our way then. Come on guys."

* * *

The gang walked out of the hospital with downcast looks.

"This ain't right" Liam commented, "Lincoln doesn't deserve to be hold up in some dag'nab hospital all alone and prevent us and his own family from seeing him." "The spirits and I sense that Lincoln will be able to pull through from this, and they're hardly ever wrong" Haiku added. "I don't like that they're keeping his family away" Jordan grumbled. Kat sympathized with her friends' opinions, and then she had a thought.

She pulled out her phone and quickly dialed a number. "Mom, I have a favor to ask. Lincoln's in the hospital with a type of stomach virus and all the doctors can't figure out what kind it is to be able to treat it. I'm hoping you could contact Dr. Melendez and send him over to Royal Woods General; maybe he could shed some light on the situation. And I know that this is big to ask for but I also want to pay for Lincoln's hospital bill."

There was a few minutes where the blue haired lass listened to what her mother had to say.

"Thank so much mom" Kat breathed, "I know it was a lot to ask for, but I felt like I had to do something and I wanted to help." There was some chatter on the other side. "Alright, I might not be home for awhile, I talked to you later. Love you, bye." She then hung up and then placed her phone back into her jacket pocket.

"That was really nice of you to do" Liam commented while Jordan and Haiku nodded in agreement.

"I just hope Dr. Melendez can help him" Kat thought out loud, and then she took a seat by a nearby bench and let out a long sigh. The others joined her moments later. "You really care about him don't you?" Jordan asked as nicely as possible. "His friendship has been the best thing to happen to me in a long time" the blue haired lass answers. Jordan could relate, Lincoln offered her his friendship despite the rough beginning.

"You know something" Liam spoke up, "my Meemaw once told me this story where a woman sat on a park bench across from a hospital. She was staring up at a window that her boyfriend was in. She'd hoped by doing that, he would get better." "Did he? Get better that is?" Kat asked with curiosity.

"Not sure" the country boy admitted, "Meemaw never told me how the story ended."

"Perhaps it's for the best" Haiku mused, "one could imagine the ending how they would want it." "Lincoln's gonna get through this, right?" Jordan asked. No one gave her any kind of answer.

They just sat there in silence, praying that their friend will get better.

* * *

**(Timeskip…)  
(Scene change)  
(Location: the Loud house)**

Lynn Sr. understandably didn't feel like making dinner, so he opted for ordering pizza for the family.

He, Rita and the girls sat all around the family room trying to eat their slices but were having trouble due to all the stress each member has because they're here and Lincoln's in the hospital all alone.

_**RIIIIIIIIIING**_

Everyone turned their heads to the direction of the house phone, and then Rita got up to answer it. "Hello?" she asks in a somewhat calm tone. She listened closely to the person on the other side. "Mmhmm…" she nodded. "Uh-huh…" Lynn Sr. and the girls were growing more curious by the second.

"Alright then, thank you doctor. I'll tell everyone after I get off the phone. Thank you" and then she hung up.

"Who was it" Lynn Sr. asked with slight hope in his tone. "That was Dr. Melendez" Rita began to explain, "a specialist who was called to take a look at Lincoln's case. And he also told me that we don't need to worry about the bill, he said that someone has taken care of it." The caught the patriarch and the girls by surprise.

"Did the doctor say who paid for it?" Lynn Sr asked in wonder, Rita shook her head. "He said that the person who paid the bill wanted to remain anonymous" she answered, "to be honest I'm not asking too many questions I wasn't too sure if our insurance would cover this and now at least we don't have to worry about it." She then took a slice of pepperoni and took a seat on the couch.

Meanwhile, Lori had some thoughts of her own. _'I need to give Kat a hug the next time I see her'_ she thought.

* * *

**(Later that night…)**

* * *

**(Location: Royal Woods hospital)**

After several hours of being looked over by the specialist Kat sent over, Lincoln couldn't sit still anymore. He got up and slowly walked over to a chair and positioned himself right in front of the only window in the room. He looked up to the sky and saw a lone star and sighed.

"One little star…all alone in the sky, do you ever get lonely as the twilight drifts by?"

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: the Loud House, Lori and Leni's room)**

The oldest daughter found herself looking out the window of her bedroom while Leni was sleeping after passing out due to all the stress she gave herself. Lori couldn't blame her, she wished she could sleep right now but she couldn't rest, not until her little brother was home safe and healthy.

"One little star…" she sang softly, "in the darkening blue. Do you long for another just the way I do?"

* * *

**(Scene change)  
(Location: outside of Royal Woods hospital)**

We find Kat sitting on a park bench with Jordan, Liam and Haiku who are fast asleep. But the blue haired lass couldn't bring herself to do the same. She felt too restless, she hated feeling like this.

"Skies begins to fill; darkness ends the day. Someone who I love is far away…"

* * *

**(with Lori)**

"One little star, reaching far through the night. Do you shine on my someone? Are we sharing your light? Oh one little star, shine on both of us tonight."

* * *

**(with Lincoln)**

"Gee, I wish Lori was here to sing me a lullaby, and I wish my friends and the girls were here too and then we'd all be to together. I wonder what they're all doing tonight?" the Loud boy thought out loud.

"One little star…" he sang, while Lori and Kat appeared in spirit. "One little star…" they sang together. "Reaching far through the night…" Lincoln continued. "Reaching far through the night…" Lori and Kat repeated. "Would you shine on my someone…" the Loud boy sang, "Sine on my someone…" the eldest sister and the blue haired lass repeated. "So we're sharing your light?" the snow haired child continued, "please share your light…" Lori and Kat sang. "Oh one little star, shine on all of us all tonight." They all sang together.

The snow haired child sighed and then hobbled back over to the bed and tucked himself back in. _'I REALLY hope that things will look better in the morning…'_ he thought to himself.

And then he tried his best to get some sleep.

* * *

**(The next day…)**

* * *

As Lincoln opened his eyes, he noticed that someone was looking over him.

"Hello Lincoln, how are feeling today?" the voice asked him. The snow haired child blinked twice and then he was able to see that it was Dr. Melendez. Back to the good doctor's question, he actually felt quite better. "I…feel good sir. A lot better than I felt last night" he told him.

"Excellent" the doc clapped his hands together, "I am happy to tell you then that you will be able to go home today." The Loud boy then sat straight up. "I can?!" he asked with hopefulness. Dr. Melendez nodded, "Would you like to call you family and tell them the good news?" "Yes please" Lincoln says to him.

The doctor then handed the Loud boy the phone and he began to dial the house number.

He could hear the normal ringing, and then someone picked up the phone. "Hey mom" Lincoln spoke, "the doctor said I could be the one to tell you the good news" he said while smiling.

* * *

**(Sometime later…)**

* * *

Meanwhile, Kat and the others were still outside on the bench all sleeping soundly.

That is until they heard the blaring sound of a minivan pulling up to the hospital. The blue haired lass rubbed her eyes. "Hey, isn't that the Loud's van?" she asks while the others were waking up. "I think it is" Jordan muttered. Liam then began to think. "Wait, if they're here…then that means…"

The group then got up and raced into the hospital in search for Lincoln.

* * *

The lady at the front desk was a lot more willing to let them in due to Lincoln no longer considered being contagious. They found his room and saw that the Louds were there and all of them had smiles on their faces.

"Uh, is this a bad time…?" Jordan commented. The Loud parents shook their heads "Come on in, Lincoln will be happy to see you." The kids then walked inside to the room and saw Lincoln looking at them with a huge smile on his face. "Hey guys" he told them. Kat then walked over to the boy and then gave him a very tight bear hug. "Don't ever scare me like that again" she whispered into his ear. "I'll try" he whispered that.

She then let go and then gave a sigh of relief. "What exactly happened?" she asked the million dollar question.

"According to Dr. Melendez, he found a parasite in my stomach which he was able to successfully remove" the snow haired child explained. "Was he able to find where the parasite originated from?" Lisa asked as her scientific curiosity took over. "He asked me if I ate or drank anything unusual in the last 24 hours and I told him that I remember taking a sip from the drinking fountain at the park" Lincoln answered.

"Interesting" Lisa thought out loud, "perhaps this should be brought up at the next town meeting…"

"So what do you want to do now sport?" Lynn Sr. asked his son. "I'm kinda hungry" the boy admitted. The patriarch chuckled, "Anyone else in the mood for breakfast?" he asked everyone in the room and the every raised their hands in an unanimous vote. "I guess that answers that."

* * *

After getting properly discharged and dressed, the Louds and Lincoln's friends piled into Vanzilla to Lynn's Table for a celebratory breakfast of Lincoln's recovery. As Kat was just about to enter the vehicle, she was pulled aside by Lori who surprised her by giving her a hug of her own.

"I know it was you" the oldest sister whispered to the blue haired lass. Kat then grew concerned, feeling like she overstepped a boundary. But then Lori continued, "Don't worry; your secret is safe with me." Kat then felt relief. "Thank you" she whispered back, "Lincoln means a lot to me and I wanted to help in some way." Lori smiled. "Well thanks to you, Lincoln got better. And that's what we all wanted." "Indeed it is."

Just then, both girls' stomachs began to growl like the dickens. "I can't wait to try your dad's breakfast" Kat commented. "You won't be disappointed" Lori told her. And then the two got into the van. As everyone got situated, Lynn Sr. started the vehicle up again and began to drive away from the hospital.

And good ol' Lincoln learned something important that day, be careful of public water fountains.  
You never know how other people treat the fountains before you drink from it.

* * *

**(Next time…)**  
"A Magical Sleepover"

* * *

"Family don't end with blood."  
**\- actor, Jim Beaver**

* * *

**Lincoln's playlist:**

"Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas  
"Wait" by The Kills  
"Joe Cool" by Vince Guaraldi  
"Let it Be" by The Beatles **(performed by Luna Loud)  
**"Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day  
"One Little Star" written by Jeff Moss **(performed by Lincoln Loud, Lori Loud and Kat Ketchum)**  
"Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane

* * *

**AN: From July 2, 1979 to August 3, 1979 the character known as Charlie Brown was admitted into the hospital for an unexplained illness who fortunately though made a full recovery. I had this thought of something in this realm happening to Lincoln. And no, this is not my take on "Requiem for a Loud" despite the similarities. I guess in retrospect, there's no logical explanation for why I wrote this premise. Perhaps I wanted the readers to keep on their toes and learn to expect the unexpected.**

* * *

**I also would like to take a moment to dedicate this chapter to all those fighting COVID-19 and any other kind of disease.**


End file.
